NFL QB Stock Report, Week 7: No more discussing Brock Purdy. He is elitist

This won’t be the year we need a quarterback in the NFL Draft, but several teams already know where their priorities should be next April.

The Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants absolutely need to make a high pick for a quarterback. The Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers almost certainly should as well, barring an unexpected turnaround from Will Levis and Bryce Young. The Cleveland Browns also need change, though one wonders whether ownership would support using a valuable draft resource for a player who could usurp Deshaun Watson, whose fully guaranteed contract runs through 2026. The Steelers could also are in limbo depending on how they feel about Justin Fields or Russell Wilson at the end of the season.

Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins need a much better plan with their backup quarterback, while the New York Jets, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints need to think about the future. That group of teams can at least afford to pick their spots, which is better than forcing the issue. But how often does a team turn a mid-round lottery pick into a franchise cornerstone?

The point is, we’re in the time of year where teams need to be honest about their internal evaluations. But just because teams determine they need a quarterback doesn’t necessarily mean they can acquire a quarterback.

Remember, the Giants tried last spring. When they couldn’t move up in the rankings, they attacked the rest of the class instead of forcing themselves to take someone they didn’t like. There is something to be said for that, but that approach also increases the need to do well the following year.

League evaluators are still trying to figure out where to rank Texas’ Quinn Ewers, Georgia’s Carson Beck, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Miami’s Cam Ward and Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart, among others. They’re intriguing players, but it wouldn’t be too shocking if there was a repeat of 2022, when no QB was taken in the top 10.

To further complicate the hunt, there are no proven veterans about to hit the open market. The best of that group may come down to Sam Darnold and Fields, along with experienced stopgap solutions like Wilson and Joe Flacco.

The class of 2026 will be much more exciting with the likelihood of Arch Manning’s declaration. More than likely, a team that fails to address its QB void next year will be in the running for the prized No. 1 pick.

What’s the difference?

Joe Burrow entered the NFL as the No. 1 overall pick in 2020 after leading LSU’s historic offense to an undefeated championship that captured the nation’s attention. He was essentially the Cincinnati Bengals starter from the moment he arrived.

Brock Purdy came to the NFL as the final pick of the 2022 draft after an obscure career at Iowa State. He was buried behind Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo on the San Francisco 49ers depth chart and didn’t earn the starting job until midway through his rookie season due to injuries.

Those labels are hard to shake, but it’s probably far too late to consider Purdy one of the game’s best quarterbacks.

Take a look at the pair’s regular season stats since 2022.

The numbers are remarkably similar. Burrow has a clear advantage in passing yards, but that’s to be expected with Purdy using Kyle Shanahan’s run-heavy system.

Burrow is also 5-2 in the playoffs, and he was excellent in 2021 as the Bengals toppled the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. They were one defensive stop away from beating the Rams in the Super Bowl.

But Purdy is 4-2 in the playoffs, where he was stellar in guiding the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game in 2022 and the Super Bowl in 2023. They were also a defensive stop before dethroning the Chiefs in February.

Purdy hasn’t gotten the same shine because of the way he came into the league. He also doesn’t get as much credit for his performance because of the 49ers scheme.

It is time for that perception to change. Purdy is undoubtedly one of the best in the game.

This star continues to shine in Seattle. Watch Brock Purdy’s best plays #TNFonPrime.

More 🎥 op https://t.co/vpdsX5r07D pic.twitter.com/NXCjGiaonF

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 12, 2024

May day

Drake Maye made a strong starting debut against the Houston Texans, going 20 of 33 for 243 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also led the New England Patriots with 38 rushing yards and lost a fumble.

Drake Maye DIME for his first career touchdown pass!

📺: #HOUvsNE on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/psTLjZvOoK

—NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024

Maye recorded the most passing yards against the Texans this season, which is impressive considering they’ve played Anthony Richardson, Caleb Williams, Sam Darnold, Trevor Lawrence and Josh Allen. You could argue that his total deserves an asterisk given the lopsided score, but let’s not get too caught up in Maye’s first career performance against a quality defense while the Patriots’ entire offensive operation is in shambles around him.

Maye has certainly endured some challenges. He sputtered with his accuracy, especially early on, but before halftime he found himself in trouble with the rush. Maye delivered the exclamation point there with a majestic 40-yard touchdown to Kayshon Boutte, as the throw helped his second-year wideout gain a late separation against cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.. It was probably the best throw by a Patriots player quarterback since Tom Brady the uniform.

Once Maye feels comfortable enough to easily make the more consistent throws, which he did more of in the second half, he will grow even more in that offense. He will also eventually boost his confidence, although that may take more time given the state of New England’s offensive line.

Speaking of which, Maye’s performance should take some heat off Jerod Mayo. The first-year head coach has had some inconsistencies with his quarterback play in recent months, and rival managers have taken notice. Then people around the league wondered if Mayo had rushed into the decision to start Maye last week, perhaps feeling some of the burden from the losing streak and abandoning the plan to push Maye into action.

Additionally, the Patriots’ offensive line has been one of the worst units in the NFL, and these issues have only been exacerbated by injuries. Maye was under a lot of pressure on Sunday, especially when two backup tackles played most of the game.

However, he still put up a better stat line than Jacoby Brissett in all five of his starts. Maye produced a Patriots season with high completions and passer rating (88.3), and he had more touchdowns in his debut than Brissett had all season (two).

This was an encouraging start. Now Maye will take center stage Sunday morning in London when the Patriots meet the Jaguars, whose defense has given up the most passing yards in the NFL.

Maye debuted at No. 23 in the rankings due to his potential for a higher ceiling due to his draft stock. It’s also a fitting spot, considering fellow rookies Caleb Williams (No. 19) and Jayden Daniels (No. 22) debuted slightly higher in Week 1.

Argue for the fourth

Bo Nix is ​​a fighter. His competitiveness has kept the Denver Broncos in games that otherwise seemed lost before the fourth quarter, nearly erasing a 23-0 deficit again Sunday against the Chargers with 16 points in the final quarter.

The question, however, is whether the Broncos have been too conservative against Nix before the fourth quarter, or whether the defense is softening their look with some of these leads.

If you break it down into quarters, Nix has been much more productive in the fourth, and it’s not even close. That’s where he has the most completions (41), yards (428), touchdowns (five, including passes and runs), first downs (28, including passes and runs), the highest completion percentage (69.5) and passer rating ( 93.0).

It’s not like the Broncos will open the game in neutral. Nix has 97 pass attempts in the first half and 101 in the second half this season. But there’s something about the way he thrives in those “gotta have it” situations in the fourth quarter.

The @oregonfootball connection!

Bo Nix finds Troy Franklin for his first career TD catch!

📺: #LACvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/FU4T8eKNT8

—NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024

Once again, the Broncos trailed the Seahawks (26-13), Steelers (13-0) and Chargers by double digits in the fourth quarter. Nix wouldn’t be the first quarterback to improve his statistical output in garbage time.

It’s still early in Nix’s career, so it’s important to find the bright spots in a rookie’s performance and highlight them. It would be fun to see if Nix could take another step in his development, with the Broncos implementing some of those fourth-quarter successes earlier in their games.

Notes on Rankings

Failed: Derek Carr, oblique injury (last week, No. 21); Gardner Minshew, on the bench (last week, No. 27); Jacoby Brissett, on the bench (last week, #30).

Just a quick clarification: Carr has been removed from the rankings because he is expected to miss at least one more game. Anthony Richardson remains ranked (in place of Joe Flacco) as his recovery timeline is more uncertain. Had the Colts placed a more definitive timetable for Richardson’s injury, which permanently thrust Flacco into the starting role, it would have resulted in an adjustment to the rankings.

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(Photo: Steph Chambers/Getty Images)