Where Brock Purdy Ranks Among NFC West Quarterbacks

If they stay healthy this year, each of them could pass for more than 4,000 yards.

Dec 10, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) throws a pass against the Seattle Seahawks in the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports / Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The NFC West is loaded with quality quarterbacks.

Brock Purdy, Kyler Murray, Geno Smith and Matthew Stafford all have gone to Pro Bowls and started playoff games. And if they stay healthy this year, each of them could pass for more than 4,000 yards. So which quarterback is the best and where does Purdy rank in particular? Let's rank them in ascending order and find out.

4. Geno Smith

He has gone to the Pro Bowl each of the past two years. Last season he took a step back statistically, but his offensive line was missing key players due to injury. When he has time to throw, he's extremely accurate and he protects the football. And he's athletic, too. He just doesn't want to scramble. He wants to prove that he's a pocket passer. So he stands in one spot and if his intended target isn't open, he gets sacked. And that's why he never has beaten the 49ers. Most quarterbacks need to scramble to beat them. That's how Russell Wilson always did it.

3. Kyler Murray

He went to back to back Pro Bowls in 2020 and 2021 when he was playing for Kliff Kingsbury, one of the worst head coaches of the past 20 years. Then Murray tore his ACL. Now he's starting for a team that's rebuilding quickly. If Marvin Harrison Jr. is as good as advertised, Murray could have his best season yet in 2024. He's still extremely elusive as a runner and he has a cannon. When he was younger, he had a reputation for being entitled and a poor leader who was more interested in playing video games than quarterback. It seems he has matured though and his stock is back up.

2. Brock Purdy

He might be the least physically gifted of these four quarterbacks, but he's still extremely accurate and a good scrambler, and he might be the best leader. He has more poise and professionalism than just about any quarterback in the NFL, and he's still growing in that regard. Still, he isn't the best quarterback in the division quite yet.

1. Matthew Stafford

He's a Super Bowl Champion and he has one of the greatest arms of all time. It's up there with Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers. And Stafford is tougher than Rodgers and a better leader than he ever was. Stafford is one of the most underrated quarterbacks of all time because he had to play most of his career on terrible Lions teams. He would have won more Super Bowls if he had played somewhere else.