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San Francisco 49ers‘ Brock Purdy has done his best over the last couple of seasons to establish himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFC. Nonetheless, Purdy might get overlooked when people discuss the Top 10 signal-callers in the league.

Last season for the 49ers, Purdy posted a 90.0 overall PFF grade , ranking fourth among 43 qualified quarterbacks. His 86.1 passing grade came in fifth at the position.

Across 316 dropbacks, he threw for 2,167 yards with 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, along with 12 big-time throws and 11 turnover-worthy plays. Moreover, Purdy made an impact with his legs, adding 131 scramble yards and three rushing touchdowns. The 49ers’ quarterback’s 83.3 rushing grade ranked fourth among 30 qualified quarterbacks.

With Purdy already reaching a Super Bowl and leading the 49ers to multiple playoff appearances, the team’s fullback, Kyle Juszczyk, stated that the Niners’ quarterback isn’t receiving enough respect.

“I don’t know what it’s going to take for this guy to finally get the respect he truly deserves,“ Juszczyk said on the April 10 edition of “The Jim Rome Show.” “Season in and season out, he plays tremendously, and I don’t know what it is.

“I don’t know if it’s the fact that he’s not a first-round draft pick, if that’s just going to be the story for his entire career and be held against him. But I love the guy as a person, as my quarterback, as a football player. He is the dude.”

49ers’ Brock Purdy Has Competitive Edge to Fuel Success

Moreover, Juszczyk noted that what makes Purdy one of the league’s best signal-callers is his competitive edge. The 49ers’ fullback shared that the edge just doesn’t stay on the field, and it’s a trait Juszczyk wants in his quarterback.

“He’s a dude,“ Juszczyk noted. “We have so much fun with Brock, even when we’re not talking about football, just hanging out with the guy. He’s the ultimate competitor. After the season, a big group of us went down to Cabo, and it’s nonstop competition. We’re playing pool basketball. We’re playing bocce ball. There was one of those baseball nets you throw the ball into, and we’re using a football.

“You’ve got to play pig from the field and hit it in there. We’re playing golf together, and it’s always a competition. It’s just guys being guys, and I love that about Brock. I love that in my quarterback. I want the most competitive person in the world as my quarterback, and I think that’s exactly what we have in Brock.”

How Niners Can Close Gap With Seahawks in 2026

If the Niners want to reach another Super Bowl with Purdy, they’ll have to go through a challenging NFC West division that has the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks.

On the April 10 edition of “The Richard Sherman Podcast, “  former 49ers and Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman shared what the Niners need to improve if they want to close the gap with Seattle after the divisional-round loss.

“You’ve got to get some attitude back on that offensive line,“ Sherman said. “I think that’s where you’ve got to go, and I think that’s what the San Francisco 49ers have focused on this offseason, just whether it’s depth guys, versatile guys.

“I think they’re going to continue that in the draft, and they’re going to have to. And then you’re going to have to get some defensive linemen to combat this Seattle Seahawks defensive line that understands that they have been able to control you… “You haven’t been able to move them, whether it’s double-teamed or not. That means your guys aren’t strong enough.

“That means your centers and guards aren’t strong enough to move these men. They are taking on double teams and standing pat. You’ve seen it consistently in those games. If you can’t move them with the double team, you’ve got to get people in there who can.”

Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo