Iowa State Legend Brock Purdy Receives Eye-Opening NFL Ranking

It’s not exactly surprising that the majority of the NFL world doubts Brock Purdy. But with a new contract in hand, it’s certainly possible that there is too much doubt for the former Iowa State Cyclone.

ESPN’s Aaron Schatz looked at each position across the NFL to determine the most underrated player at each spot. The choice at quarterback must have been easy, after all, so few fans outside of San Francisco and half of Iowa are giving Mr. Irrelevant much of a chance.

$265M Contract or Not, Purdy Still Fighting for Respect

As Shatz points out, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan runs a notoriously quarterback-friendly scheme. It emphasizes the run game and allows the wide receivers to make plays after the catch. But he argues the criticisms of Purdy’s game specifically are, at times, unfounded.

“Many claimed Purdy wasn't a legit MVP candidate in 2023 because he received too much help from San Francisco's offensive scheme and his talented teammates,” Shatz wrote. “Yet in 2024, while many of Purdy's teammates were injured, he still played very well.”

Of course, Purdy has taken center stage in NFL news this week after signing a five-year, $265 million extension and claiming he sees himself as a top-10 quarterback in the NFL. Still, after three solid seasons in San Francisco, he had to be rewarded in some manner and a quarterback without confidence is no quarterback at all.

Purdy is caught in a catch-22 for the rest of his career unless he starts putting up Patrick Mahomes numbers with a supporting cast void of name-brand talent. These are circumstances hard to come by in San Francisco, which has been one of the most successful franchises of the past decade without a Super Bowl victory despite slightly above-average quarterback play.

Still, with San Francisco’s investment in its franchise quarterback and offensive weapons back at full health ahead of the 2025 season, Purdy is positioned to continue his growth at the NFL level. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely he’ll be able to shake that ‘underrated’ adjective next to his name this season, no matter how well he plays.