The NFL’s highest-graded quarterbacks through six weeks include several familiar names, but the player sitting at No. 1 represents one of the biggest developments of the 2026 season.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy leads PFN’s Quarterback Impact rankings with a 90.8 grade, putting him ahead of Lamar Jackson, Trevor Lawrence, Josh Allen, and Jared Goff. PFN college and NFL analyst Max Chadwick broke down the top five, with Purdy’s efficiency and San Francisco’s start putting him squarely in the MVP discussion.

PFN Quarterback Impact blends passing efficiency metrics including EPA per dropback, success rate, adjusted net yards per attempt, completion percentage over expectation, and touchdown rate with designed-run value. A 75 represents an average qualifying starter, while a 90 grade is considered elite.

5) Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

Jared Goff has had to shoulder an enormous amount of responsibility for Detroit because the Lions’ defense has been one of the league’s weakest units. Chadwick believes Goff has answered that challenge with one of the best starts of his career.

Goff has thrown for 1,485 yards with 12 touchdowns and no interceptions through five games. No other quarterback with zero interceptions is close to his touchdown total. Jayden Daniels has the next-most passing touchdowns among interception-free quarterbacks with five.

The efficiency numbers have been just as strong. Goff is averaging 0.28 expected points added per dropback, which ranks fifth among qualifying quarterbacks, and his 50.2% successful-pass rate ranks seventh. He is also averaging 8.1 adjusted net yards per attempt.

Those numbers are particularly important given the way Detroit has been forced to win. The Lions have regularly needed their offense to compensate for defensive problems, leaving little room for Goff to simply manage games and let the other side of the ball take over.

Chadwick’s evaluation reflects that burden. Goff isn’t merely putting up efficient numbers within a favorable offense. Detroit has needed elite quarterback play to remain competitive, and through the first part of the season, Goff has provided it without giving possessions away.

4) Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Josh Allen finds himself in a similar situation in Buffalo. The Bills remain one of the AFC’s major contenders, but their defense has created enough problems that Allen has again been asked to carry an outsized portion of the team’s championship hopes.

Allen has completed 66.7% of his passes for 1,504 yards, nine touchdowns, and four interceptions through six games. His 0.33 EPA per dropback ranks third among qualifying quarterbacks, while his completion percentage is 5.1 points above expectation.

His rushing production continues to separate him from almost every other quarterback. Allen already has eight rushing touchdowns, six more than any other quarterback. He has also rushed for 240 yards on 48 attempts.

That combination means defenses can’t simply judge Allen on conventional passing statistics. Even when Buffalo doesn’t finish a drive through the air, he remains one of the most dangerous goal-line runners in football.

Chadwick views Allen as the primary reason Buffalo remains a legitimate Super Bowl threat despite its defensive issues. His ability to create explosive plays as both a passer and runner continues to give the Bills margin for error that most teams simply don’t have.

3) Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Trevor Lawrence entered the NFL with expectations few quarterback prospects have ever faced. He had been a five-star recruit, won a national championship at Clemson, and became the No. 1 overall pick after being viewed as one of the best quarterback prospects of his generation.

His NFL career before 2026 had generally fallen short of that standard. Lawrence had produced good seasons, including a top-10 PFN grade in 2022, but had not consistently established himself among the league’s elite quarterbacks.

Chadwick believes that has changed this season.

Lawrence has thrown for 1,480 yards, 14 touchdowns, and four interceptions through six games. His 14 touchdown passes are tied for the league lead, and he has already produced four touchdown passes twice this season, including Jacksonville’s Week 6 loss to Houston.

The efficiency data backs up the production. Lawrence is averaging 0.27 EPA per dropback, owns a 50.2% success rate, and is averaging 7.8 adjusted net yards per attempt. His 7.2% touchdown rate ranks second among qualifying quarterbacks.

That represents a meaningful jump from the quarterback Jacksonville saw in recent seasons. Lawrence threw 29 touchdowns across 17 games in 2025. He is already nearly halfway to that total through six games while improving his yards per attempt from 7.2 last season to 8.0.

For Chadwick, this is the version of Lawrence people envisioned when he entered the league. The physical talent was never the question. The difference in 2026 is that the production and efficiency are finally matching it.

2) Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Availability is the only thing keeping Lamar Jackson from making a stronger push for the top spot.

Jackson has played only four games because of injury, but when he’s been on the field, no quarterback has been more efficient on a per-dropback basis. His 0.38 EPA per dropback leads the NFL, as does his 57.7% successful-pass rate and 9.7 adjusted net yards per attempt.

Jackson has completed 70.8% of his passes for 967 yards, six touchdowns, and one interception. His completion percentage is 8.1 points above expectation, the second-best mark among qualifying quarterbacks.

He has remained dangerous as a runner as well. Jackson has 144 rushing yards on only 19 attempts despite missing time, putting him among the league’s more productive quarterbacks on the ground even with the reduced sample.

Chadwick’s argument is straightforward: Jackson has played MVP-caliber football when healthy. The problem is that the Ravens haven’t consistently had him available.

If Jackson can return and stay on the field, there is enough season left for him to reenter the MVP race. His current 88.3 Impact grade already places him well ahead of every quarterback other than Purdy despite having only four games of data.

1) Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

Brock Purdy has gone from Mr. Irrelevant to one of the leading candidates for NFL MVP.

The San Francisco quarterback owns the highest PFN Quarterback Impact grade through six weeks at 90.8, making him the only quarterback currently above PFN’s elite 90-point threshold.

Purdy has completed 69.6% of his passes for 1,460 yards, 14 touchdowns, and only two interceptions. His touchdown total is tied for the league lead despite ranking outside the top 10 in passing attempts.

His efficiency is where the case becomes even stronger. Purdy ranks second among qualifying quarterbacks at 0.36 EPA per dropback, second with 9.2 adjusted net yards per attempt, and near the top of the league with a 54.4% success rate.

No qualifying quarterback has thrown a touchdown on a higher percentage of his passes. Purdy’s 8.0% touchdown rate leads the NFL, and his completion percentage is 5.1 points above expectation.

He’s also contributing more as a runner than his reputation might suggest. Purdy has 156 rushing yards on 30 attempts, the seventh-most rushing yards among quarterbacks in PFN’s current rankings.

The context matters to Chadwick as well. San Francisco has looked like one of the NFL’s best teams, and Purdy has been one of the primary reasons. His production isn’t built on sheer passing volume. He has consistently created value almost every time the 49ers ask him to drop back.

Purdy’s career began with the novelty of being the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft who unexpectedly became a starter. That storyline has increasingly become irrelevant. Through the first six games of 2026, Chadwick sees a quarterback playing at an elite level and building a legitimate MVP résumé.