While Purdy did not make ESPN's top 10, he did receive an honorable mention, which might not be much of a consolation prize for fans.
"One of the NFL's best stories, Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 draft, is 17-4 as a starter, a near-Super Bowl winner and an MVP finalist," Fowler wrote. "His play is incredibly efficient, with a league-leading 72.8 QBR in his first full year as a starter. He's already on the board with four playoff wins. All of this has put him into the fringe top 10 category."
But not enough to surpass names like Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions and Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys, who came in at Nos. 9 and 10, respectively.
"It's hard to call him top 10 based on the guys ahead of him, but it's hard to keep him out of the top 10, too," an NFC executive told Fowler. "He willed that team to the Super Bowl. Only right to give him serious consideration."
Purdy is coming off an impressive 2023 campaign. Following surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, the quarterback led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in just his second NFL season, throwing for a single-season franchise record of 4,280 passing yards while leading the NFL with a 113.0 passer rating.
One NFL executive doesn't believe Purdy is a game-changer like many of the names on ESPN's top-10 list.
"He's very good at navigating the pocket, buying time, using his legs -- you're not going to win because of him in most cases," the NFC executive said. "He's a really good system quarterback."
Other honorable mentions included Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers, Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles, and Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins. Unsurprisingly, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs led all quarterbacks, coming in at No. 1.
Here is ESPN's complete top 10 quarterback list:
- Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
- Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
- Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
- Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
- Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
- Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
- C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
- Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
- Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
- Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys