Fred Warner believes Brock Purdy soon will be NFL’s ‘best’ QB

Fred Warner believes Brock Purdy soon will be NFL’s ‘best’ QB originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner has witnessed Brock Purdy help lead the 49ers on a pair of deep playoff runs in his first two NFL seasons, but the superstar defender believes the young quarterback is going to be even better moving forward.

During an interview on “Up & Adams” Friday, Warner was asked about the hype surrounding Purdy’s training-camp interceptions. Not only did Warner quickly disregard any notion of practice interceptions holding any significance, but the star linebacker also shared immense praise for Purdy while offering a bold prediction about the quarterback’s NFL future.

“From Day 1, I’ve been a Brock Purdy fan and I always will be,” Warner told Adams. “I think he’s one of the best in the league, and soon I think he will be the best — undisputed. People want to make something out of practice interceptions and all that other stuff … listen, you’ve obviously never been in the NFL if you’re writing stories about interceptions in practice. Like Deebo [Samuel] mentioned, he’s going against one of the best defenses in the league. So, we’re not worried about that.”

Since bursting on the scene in 2022, Purdy has won over 80 percent of his regular-season starts, guiding the 49ers to the brink of a championship in each of his first two seasons in the league.

Purdy finished fourth in 2023 NFL MVP voting, leading the league in passer-rating (113.0), yards per attempt (9.6) and QBR (72.8) while piloting San Francisco to the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed.

Purdy immediately endeared himself to his 49ers teammates and coaches with his relentless work ethic and attention to detail, which has translated on the field to the tune of a 21-6 record, including the playoffs, since taking the reins as San Francisco’s starting quarterback.

Warner has been named First-Team All-Pro three times, and widely is viewed as the NFL’s gold standard at the linebacker position for his ability to wreak havoc on the league’s elite quarterbacks.

According the Warner, Purdy already is in that tier of quarterback, with a path to the No. 1 spot on the horizon for the 24-year-old.

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