49ers QBs Trey Lance and Brock Purdy are more alike than previously thought
Trey Lance and Brock Purday are both elite and alike when it comes to QB cognition in the pre-draft screening process.
It was believed that Brock Purdy's score on the pre-draft cognitive test was a rarity. And to be fair, it was.
However, Purdy's 95th-percentile score, an incredible feat, is actually pretty common in the San Francisco 49ers quarterback room.
Brandon Ally, the co-founder of S2 Cognition, who administers the mind test, revealed to Matt Barrows that Lance scored well, but not in the Purdy-level tier. But recently, Ally joined the "Clutch Gene Sports" podcast to explain just how close the two quarterbacks are in cognition.
Yeah, I would say that Trey was closer to Brock than the 80th percentile," Ally said, via Marco Martinez. "From a cognitive perspective, I'll be honest with you, San Francisco has two really good quarterbacks to work with there."
It is quite shocking that the 49ers have two quarterbacks that place above the 87th percentile on a cognitive test. Though it is just one piece of the quarterback puzzle, there is data that validates that higher cognition tests lead to better completion percentages and quarterback performance.
"I don't know that it's an either-or kind of thing," Ally said. "Both of those guys, from a cognitive perspective, again, there's so much that goes into success, right? You got to have the physical skills, the arm talent, you've got to have the psychological makeup. Some of these kids don't like contact, and I'm not saying one over the other there, there's just so many things that go into being a successful NFL quarterback that aren't cognitive-related."
Lance will need reps to really get his barring in the NFL. Last season was a wash because of the injury. And Purdy didn't get a real opportunity until the last five weeks of the season.
With Purdy heading toward off-season surgery on Wednesday, Lance may be thrust back into the starting role in the 2023 NFL season.
An already close battle between the two quarterbacks only gets more convoluted as the 49ers attempt to figure out who the face of the franchise will be moving forward.
