​San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is already among the best young players in the NFL following a solid four-year career thus far. But given his position, one analyst considers him a top-10 franchise cornerstone in the entire league.Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon ranked Purdy No. 6 on his list of the NFL’s true franchise players heading into the 2026 season — the third-highest quarterback on the list behind only Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe ranking evaluates young players (28 years or younger) around whom a team can build, independent of their supporting cast, and those who are still with the team that drafted them. Purdy checks all those boxes when considering his efficiency and production in the league.Among 270 quarterbacks in NFL history with 1,000 attempts, Purdy is the highest rated with a career rating of 104.0. Has he benefited from an early-career shock factor as well as Kyle Shanahan’s system in a stacked offense? Sure, but numbers are numbers and his are fabulous.In 2025, Purdy was the league’s highest-rated passer on third down and was lights-out in the fourth quarter of one-score games.Purdy landed just behind Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, the Chargers’ Justin Herbert and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts on the overall list, with only Maye and Daniels ranked ahead of him among quarterbacks. Green Bay’s Jordan Love was the only other quarterback to crack the top 10, coming in one spot behind Purdy at No. 7.With the 49ers reshaping their offense around him this offseason, adding Mike Evans while retaining Christian McCaffrey and eventually George Kittle, Purdy enters 2026 with as much talent around him as at any point in his career. Gagnon’s ranking suggests the belief in Purdy as San Francisco’s long-term answer at quarterback extends well beyond the Bay Area.This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Brock Purdy’s case as one of NFL’s best young players keeps growing