49ers' Brock Purdy, Rams' Matthew Stafford Voted NFL's Most Underrated QB by Players

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has gone from "Mr. Irrelevant" to one of the top signal-callers in the league, and he's earned the respect of his peers.

ESPN polled a group of 103 NFL players, and Purdy tied for the lead as the NFL's most underrated quarterback alongside Los Angeles Rams veteran Matthew Stafford, with both of them receiving 14 votes.

After being picked last in the 2022 NFL draft, Purdy took full advantage of his opportunity to seize San Francisco's starting quarterback position and established himself as a franchise cornerstone. He capped his sophomore season by leading the 49ers to Super Bowl LVIII, but the team fell short against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Purdy led the NFL with a 113.0 quarterback rating and an adjusted QBR of 72.8 while throwing for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He completed 69.4 percent of his passes and also added two rushing touchdowns.

The 49ers are the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl once again, so Purdy will have to remain steady to help the team reach that goal.

Stafford, who is entering his 16th season in the NFL, is coming off his second career Pro Bowl selection after throwing for 3,965 yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The 36-year-old spent 12 years with the Detroit Lions, but he started earning respect around the league when he was traded to the Rams and helped lead the team to a Super Bowl title in 2021.

"When you're at the level he's been at for so long, people take it for granted a little bit," an NFC West player said of Stafford. "And being in Detroit, maybe the market for the attention wasn't really there. Now that he's in L.A. for a few years, hopefully that market catches up with the talent that he has."