Analysis
8/12/23
3 min read
49ers QB Brock Purdy Impressing at Training Camp
Editors note: The 33rd Team's Rich Gannon is in Las Vegas covering the Raiders and 49ers, who play Sunday afternoon. The former NFL MVP came away impressed by what he saw of 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy during joint practices, despite the youngster throwing three interceptions.
There was some really good work Friday in Las Vegas between the San Francisco 49ers and the Las Vegas Raiders.
I was at the practice and scrimmage and got a chance to watch a lot of individual work. I came away really impressed with the 49ers quarterbacks, in particular Brock Purdy.
I didn't expect him to be throwing the ball this well this early. Remember, he had the ulnar collateral ligament injury against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. He had surgery, and he's throwing the ball a lot better than I anticipated.
Purdy will never blow you away when he throws the ball deep or outside the numbers. He's not going to overpower you. He has average arm strength. The velocity falls off a little bit when he has to throw the ball outside the numbers.
However, he's a quarterback who relies on anticipation and accuracy, and the 49ers have built an offense around Jimmy Garoppolo last year and then Purdy. They are quarterbacks who don't have great mobility but get the ball out on time with great anticipation and great accuracy to get the receivers like Deebo Samuel into the transition of the run.
Purdy showed a lot of that again: A lot of throws inside the numbers, inside the hash marks, and a lot of short and intermediate throws. That's an area where he excels. But again, he really impressed me with where he's at in his rehabilitation.
The 49ers coaches are monitoring his reps and his throws in training camp. They're pulling him back at times. But Friday, against the Raiders, he looked really good. There are no concerns whatsoever about Purdy being ready for Week 1 of the regular season.
Trey Lance is still a work in progress. He's moving better, and he looks healthy. But the issue with Lance is inexperience. He didn't play a lot of football at North Dakota State. He hasn't had a chance to play a lot of football in the NFL, obviously, because of the injury last year.
Another issue with Lance is accuracy. He struggles with his anticipation. He's late with throws, and the accuracy really falls off. It's an offense that's built on the transition: short, quick, intermediate throws. That's an area where he has to improve.
Sam Darnold had some good reps. Unfortunately, he had an interception down in the red zone. And when you study him, nothing has changed. Going back to his days at USC, he had 37 turnovers in 26 games. How about these numbers: 79 turnovers in 55 NFL games? And that's why he is no longer an NFL starter. For him to make the team, he will have to get that straightened out.
But overall, the 49ers feel pretty good about their quarterback depth and talent. And they're sleeping a little bit easier now, knowing that Purdy will be ready for Week 1.
Rich Gannon played 18 seasons in the NFL and won the league’s Most Valuable Player award in 2002 when he led the Oakland Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII. Follow him on Twitter at @RichGannon12.
