Dan Orlovsky awkwardly compares Brock Purdy to NFL legend Tom Brady
Brock Purdy isn’t certainly having a great start to his 2026 NFL campaign, but one ESPN analyst is going way overboard with the hype.
The San Francisco 49ers are 3-0 entering Week 4 and Dan Orlovsky has seen enough to label Purdy as the next great quarterback. However, Orlovsky isn’t ready to stop there, and instead believes the 49ers star is becoming the next Tom Brady.
The former Detroit Lions quarterback appeared on ESPN First Take on Friday alongside Stephen A. Smith. That’s when he delivered his absurd take dubbing Purdy as the next NFL great.
“I don’t think there’s anybody in the league that could be doing what Purdy’s doing in San Francisco right now … it is like watching Brady in New England,” Orlovsky said ahead of San Francisco’s Week 4 game against the Denver Broncos.
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ESPN analyst gives Brock Purdy absurd levels of hype
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) celebrates with quarterback Brock Purdy (right) after scoring a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals during the third quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
ESPN continues to play its role well with the hot takes. Perhaps his network colleagues, like Smith, have rubbed off on Orlovsky a bit too much in that department.
The reality is Purdy is an excellent quarterback after the 49ers selected him in the seventh round of the 2022 draft. “Mr. Irrelevant” has undoubtedly become one of the better pocket passers in the game, and even offers some solid scrambling abilities.
However, Orlovsky’s sentiment that he’s in the same class as a seven-time Super Bowl champion is a bit much. Purdy hasn’t captured a championship to this point in his young career, despite losing a close Super Bowl 58 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Brady’s unprecedented postseason success will likely never be matched again. Purdy’s even got a ways to go before he can be mentioned alongside names like Peyton Manning or Patrick Mahomes.
The one area where the 49ers star has certainly excelled in is being able to adjust to the team’s mountain of injuries. San Francisco regularly deals with some of the highest injury totals in the league.
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The 49ers are currently one of just five remaining undefeated teams in 2026. Purdy’s a huge reason for that fact and is trying to help guide San Francisco back to the postseason for the fourth time in his five professional seasons.
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Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.