The Five Things 49ers Quarterback Brock Purdy Does Best

As Brock Purdy enters Year 5 of his NFL career, we're starting to understand exactly who he is as a quarterback.

He's a good one. At times, he's one of the best in the league. But he hasn't been consistently great since 2023, which was his one great season. And he currently is the sixth-highest-paid player in the NFL, so he has more to prove.

Still, here are the five best things he does right now.

1. Throws with touch

Kyle Shanahan and his assistant coaches call this "layering" passes, or lofting them over linebackers and in front of safeties, and they say that Purdy is the best in the NFL at doing this. And they might be right. Some quarterbacks have absolutely no ability to throw soft passes with touch. I'm thinking Colin Kaepernick a decade ago, and Justin Herbert now. Those guys throw fastballs only. Purdy doesn't really have a fastball. He throws changeups, and they're effective.

2. Throws to spots

Purdy doesn't have the arm strength to "throw receivers open" when they're covered tightly man-to-man down the field. But he has the courage to throw to spots before receivers even make their breaks. He doesn't need visual confirmation that a receiver is open before pulling the trigger -- Purdy anticipates the opening, particularly against zone coverage. That's why he's so deadly when he has a wide receiver who can get open and be at the right spots on time, like Brandon Aiyuk, for example.

3. Avoids sacks

Brock Purdy isn't a huge threat to run, although he will scramble a few times per game, and Kyle Shanahan will call the occasional zone-read for him near the goal line, because he's quick. But he's also small and not particularly fast after his first few steps, so he could get injured if he runs too much. Last year, he suffered turf toe when he got tackled trying to run out of bounds.

But when it comes to standing still in the pocket and spinning away from potential sacks, he's one of the best. He routinely jukes and runs circles around unblocked defensive linemen who are bigger and faster than him. In this way, he's similar to Patrick Mahomes and Caleb Williams. All three are great at avoiding pressure and extending plays.

4. Completes layups

Purdy isn't a dunk-and-dunk quarterback. He wants to push the ball 15 to 25 yards down the field as much as possible, and he's good at doing so. But, he also doesn't miss when he has a wide-open receiver right in front of him, as opposed to Caleb Williams, who routinely airmails the easiest throws imaginable.

Purdy is automatic with the easy stuff. He throws beautiful screen passes, perfect swing passes, and check-downs that lead to yards after the catch.

5. Takes coaching

Everyone seems to want to play in Kyle Shanahan's system, but not everyone wants to take his coaching. Just ask Jimmy Garoppolo. Shanahan can be extremely harsh and negative because he wants his quarterbacks to be perfect. Garoppolo didn't have the same aspirations, so they clashed.

Purdy is just as driven to be great as Shanahan. And Purdy isn't a former high draft pick who thinks he has it all figured out. He's the former Mr. Irrelevant who made it this far because he embraced Shanahan's coaching and didn't take offense when Shanahan criticized him.

This is an underrated skill. Not all NFL quarterbacks want to be coached, particularly by Shanahan, who's brutally honest.

Stay tuned. Next, I'll break down the five worst aspects of Purdy's game.

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