49ers' Brock Purdy has two 'superpowers' according to an NFL exec

49ers’ Brock Purdy has two ‘superpowers’ according to an NFL exec originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The San Francisco 49ers have their quarterback of the future in Brock Purdy, and while he might not be the top-tier QB like Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, or Lamar Jackson, he’s still a good-enough QB to win with.

While his 2025 season was limited due to injury, Purdy was still impressive enough that, in a recent poll of NFL executives, scouts, and coaches shared by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Purdy received an honorable mention just outside the top-10 ranked QBs in the NFL.

But, within that honorable mention from the ESPN poll, Purdy received a noteworthy comment from an NFC executive, who revealed Purdy has two “superpowers.”

Brock Purdy has two ‘superpowers’ per NFC executive

“He has got two superpowers,” the NFC executive said. “Layering the ball and shot-area quickness to stay alive. He’s elite in those two areas.”

Even though Purdy might not be the best QB in the NFL overall, he is elite at these two categories, and they’re each important to playing a high-level quarterback in the NFL.

First, being able to layer the ball well is a huge thing for a quarterback, especially one in a Kyle Shanahan offense. Purdy’s ability to layer in a pass to a receiver is a huge strength of his game.

That ability gives him the chance to throw to receivers who, for some lesser QBs, might be covered. Laying the ball over a defender, or in between multiple defenders gives Purdy a lot more options as a passer. He’s elite at that, which is why he received top-10 votes.

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But that’s not all. Purdy is also elite at his short-area quickness. He might not be the fastest quarterback, and he typically doesn’t run the ball a ton. However, that’s not what this “superpower” entails.

Instead, what makes the difference here for Purdy is his ability to turn a sack into a throwaway, a scramble for a short gain, or a completion. He took 11 sacks this past season in nine games, a 3.73% sack rate.

Being able to avoid sacks is a massively important trait for a QB, and Purdy is elite at doing that. The combination of his ability to layer passes, escape sacks, and make something out of nothing is what makes him such a good QB.

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