Lions rookie Luke Altmyer is starting to draw some comparisons to Brock Purdy after just a couple of weeks on the job
Lions UDFA QB Luke Altmyer is already turning heads in OTAs — and the early buzz has some people throwing around a Brock Purdy comparison after just a couple weeks in the building.
The Detroit Lions walked out of the 2026 NFL Draft with some pretty good undrafted free agents. Guys like Erick Hunter, Miles Kitselman, and Anthony Lucas have real shots at making the 53-man roster. The guy who’s really wowing right now is quarterback Luke Altmyer.
Since OTAs started, Altmyer has really been shining. Keep in mind this is a “pajama party,” and he’s not taking on any pass rush or any real pressure, but he’s showing the coaching staff that his mind and his feelings are in the right place.
“I think the emphasis is very similar to what we just talked about with the O-line. How quickly can you pick it up?” Lions OC Drew Petzing said. “You’ve got to call the plays, you’ve got to get in and out of the huddle, you’ve got the quarterback position, you’re responsible for the 10 other guys. Are they doing what they’re supposed to be doing, or when they’re not, can you correct it before it matters? I think that’s a big part of the process of playing quarterback and something that (Lions QB) Jared (Goff), obviously who’s been in the league for such a long time, does at such a high level that you almost start to take it for granted and some of the young guys got to get there, and to watch him do that, I think it’s great for Luke. I think he’s really embraced that and I think that’s been kind of the fun thing to get to work with him. You are building it from the ground up. He doesn’t have that foundation right now, and so we’re trying to set that foundation. I think he’s embracing that challenge.”
Earlier on Thursday, head coach Dan Campbell simply said, “Yeah, he didn’t lack confidence for sure.”
This has led some Lions fans to make a comparison to 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy
Purdy was the very last player selected in the 2022 NFL Draft and took full advantage of the shot that he wound up getting, and is now San Francisco’s starter.
I get why people want to make the comparison, and honestly, it’s not crazy if you keep it in the right lane. We’re talking about the same general idea of quarterback — timing, rhythm, getting the ball out on schedule, not trying to play hero ball every snap. That’s where it makes sense.
But this is where you’ve got to be real about it. Purdy didn’t just survive in that mold, he maxed it out. He’s got enough arm, enough mobility, and way more playmaking than people gave him credit for, and that’s why it works at the highest level. Altmyer? He’s more of a stripped-down version of that archetype right now. Smart, safe, probably going to do what the coach asks — but the margin for error is way thinner. So yeah, the comparison works if you’re talking about style, but if you’re talking about outcome, that could be a whole different conversation.
Right now, we have to wait to get to training camp and the preseason to see what he’s able to do. The ceiling for him is to beat Teddy Bridgewater out and win the QB2 job. That is a very tall ceiling to reach. The more likely outcome is that Altmyer convinces the Lions to carry a third quarterback this year. From there, the first priority should be to become a premium quarterback. We’ll see if that happens.
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