This One Stat Points to how Great Brock Purdy has Been for the 49ers

This says it all.

Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

No matter what you think about Brock Purdy, he is a successful quarterback. While it might be the scheme and the players around him helping him, almost nobody can match the success of Purdy, so it is hard to ignore. One stat that is highly in favor of Purdy is adjusted net yards per attempt.

Brock Purdy shines for the San Francisco 49ers in one key area

Adjusted net yards per attempt adjusts passing yards for touchdowns, interceptions, and sacks, making it a more reliable metric. Purdy has a career 7.8 ANY/A, which is unprecedented for the level of play that he is at.

Purdy is just 26 years old and has over 1,300 passing attempts. When looking at players as young, experienced, and productive as him, there are only three players similar in the modern era, and is Dan Marino, Patrick Mahomes, and Deshaun Watson. 

These are Watson's stats before he turned 27 years old, so back when he was at his best for the Houston Texans. He was good enough that teams were justifying paying him significant money despite serious off-the-field questions and sitting out for a full season. Even then, Watson had a 7.3 ANY/A, which is a tick below Purdy. 

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Dan Marino also had a 7.3 ANY/A, and he had one of the better starts to a career in NFL history. Purdy is second to only Patrick Mahomes, who had an 8.1 ANY/A from 2017-2021 before turning 27 years old. This is obviously elite territory. 

You can talk about the scheme, but Kyle Shanahan has shuffled through a lot of quarterbacks. He has been able to find success from unknown signal callers, but none have reached the highs of Purdy, and none have done it as consistently as Purdy. Even last year, Mac Jones had the same supporting cast, and while he performed well, he had a 6.7 ANY/A. That is obviously good, but nowhere near the peaks that Purdy hits with this offense. Purdy was not at his best last year, and he still finished with a 7 ANY/A, showing that while the offense can be sustained with someone like Jones, there is more to be had when Purdy is out there. 

Purdy might not actually be the second-best quarterback of all time, but he is cleary a very good quarterback who deserves respect for consistently producing.