Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback explains what sets Brock Purdy apart from his peers

Many have attached caveats to Brock Purdy's remarkable success since taking over as the San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback.

Alex Smith does not accept any of them.

The first overall pick of the 49ers in 2005 appeared on Bay Area radio station 95.7 The Game this week, and he offered an enthusiastic appraisal of Purdy.

"To see what he's done, it's honestly the best story in the NFL, the best story in football, one of the best stories in sports," Smith said. "And it's the real deal. Brock is the real deal. I think for everybody out there trying to say he's a product of the situation, listen, is [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] a great offensive coordinator? Of course. Are there great weapons there? Yes. But then, half the league you could say that about. 

"Listen, you go into every, not just the main stats, but you go into the deep, kind of some of these more underlying stats for accuracy, throwing under pressure with a defender in proximity of him, passing outside the pocket, throwing the ball downfield, Brock was number one in the NFL in about every category there was. This guy does it all."

Purdy was the MVP frontrunner for much of the 2023 season as the 49ers earned the number one seed in the NFC and then went on reach the Super Bowl, where they suffered an agonizing overtime defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.

He eventually finished fourth in the MVP voting, but Smith believes Purdy has a trait that sets him apart from his quarterback counterparts in the league as he goes into his second full season as the 49ers' starter.

"And then you just turn on the tape, and the eye test, he passes it as well," Smith added. 

"This guy, I think, plays with more courage in the NFL than about any quarterback, and that's saying a lot. He's not a big guy, but, man, he stands in there, and that's something you just can't coach. I'm sorry. Guys have it or they don't.

"You can look good in shorts and throw it all around the yard, but when you put the pads on, and 350 pounders are bearing down on you, to have that kind of courage and stand in there and still have the poise and accuracy to keep his eyes downfield again, it's just really, really rare."