National Football League

Brock Purdy is reminiscent of an early Tom Brady, Bayless says

Published Oct. 9, 2023 6:27 p.m. ET

From a talent perspective, Brock Purdy may not be deserving of an "elite" label. He himself has admitted his arm is not the strongest among NFL QBs, and any viewer of his game can surmise that his legs don't move the fastest.

But if we're speaking in terms of winning and efficiency, there may not be a better QB in football than Purdy. He hasn't lost a game that he's started and finished, and after his 49ers drubbed the Cowboys 42-10 on Sunday Night Football, Purdy has proven that he's no scrub in a prime-time matchup either.

His numbers are particular startling: He currently leads the NFL in quarterback rating (123.1), is second among starters in completion percentage (73.1) and is averaging over nine yards per completion. Not to mention, he hasn't thrown an interception through his first five games (which only one other quarterback has ever done in NFL history), while the Niners have beaten four of their five opponents by double digits.

Do you want more great stories delivered right to you? Here's how you can create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow your favorite leagues, teams and players and receive a personalized newsletter in your inbox daily.

For Skip Bayless, Purdy's early start reminds him of another San Francisco native's.

"This guy named Tom Brady grew up just up the highway from where they play right now in San Francisco," Bayless said Monday on "Undisputed." "This is Tom Brady's home country, and … it took me awhile to come around to Brady … because I was such a Joe Montana fan. And I kept saying, 'he doesn’t have that big of an arm, and he's not that mobile.' And I'm looking at Brock Purdy, he doesn't even have Tom's arm, he doesn't have Tom's height, because Tom's a full 6'4. … But he is mobile, he can move in the pocket to create time to throw, and that throw he made to [George] Kittle for that first TD … it was a big-time National Football League pro football throw."

"He is early Tom Brady. He's on that arc, because he doesn't do anything wrong. … Now he's got nine TD to zero interceptions. Is that good enough? He has started and finished 12 games in this league. He's 12-0 in those games. 12-0? It's impossible. You can say scheme, you can say Kyle [Shanahan], you can say … talent, you still have to play the position at the highest level. He is way better than Dak Prescott ever thought about being because he's unflappable. … He stands back there like he's playing soft-toss catch. He reads it so quickly, he picks out the absolute most open receiver, and then … he just flicks his wrist, and all of a sudden, it drops right into the bread basket. … We have a wizard calling plays for a wizard."

FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience