Brock Purdy is a bit of a conundrum.
He’s extremely smart, he reads defenses quickly and accurately and he’s decisive, so you’d think he’d thrive when he gets the ball out of his hands quickly. But that’s not when he’s at his best according to Pro Football Focus.
Purdy surprisingly was not one of the top 10 highest-graded quarterbacks in the NFL last season when he threw the ball in fewer than 2.5 seconds. Tua Tagovaioloa was the top-graded quarterback in this metric, which speaks to his quick release and accuracy from the pocket. Jared Goff, Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love and Jalen Hurts also ranked in the top 10.
When quarterbacks held the ball for more than 2.5 seconds, Purdy was the fourth-highest-graded quarterback after Lamar Jackson, Kirk Cousins and Matthew Stafford. Obviously, Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the world no matter how long he holds the ball, but he didn’t make Pro Football Focus’ top 10 somehow last season. They should really look into that.
Purdy’s ability to make plays is extremely underrated. The longer he holds the ball, the better off the 49ers offense is because he’s extremely creative and poised. Which makes you think the 49ers would actually want to invest in pass protection. If Purdy gets better the longer he holds the ball, give him more time to hold the ball. Asking him to be Drew Brees and release the ball as quickly as possible isn’t playing to Purdy’s strengths. He’s much more like Steve Young than Drew Brees.