When the Patriots drafted quarterback Julian Edelman out of Kent State in the 7th round (232nd overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft, Edelman already knew he wasn’t going to stay at quarterback for long.
During the draft process, the Patriots worked him out twice, neither with much focus on quarterback.
“The Patriots worked me out twice. They brought in Ivan Fears (Running Backs), they brought in Scotty O’Brien (Special Teams), they brought in a bunch of guys in that pre-draft process. So I could tell that they were seeing what I could do,” recalled Edelman. “I knew I was going to probably play a different position.”
It didn’t take him long to see that moving his position from quarterback to receiver was for the best.
“After the first day I saw Tom [Brady] throw the ball, I said ‘Damn, that’s a great idea!’” Edelman said with a laugh. “I was just willing to do anything I could to make the team.”
620 receptions (second-most in team history), 6,822 receiving yards (fourth-most in team history), and 36 receiving touchdowns (ninth-most in franchise history) later, it turns out it was indeed a great idea. And on Saturday afternoon, he will be recognized as the 37th inductee voted into the Patriots Hall of Fame, and only the fourth wide receiver, joining Troy Brown (1993–2007), Stanley Morgan (1977–1989), and Gino Cappelletti (1960–1970).
“This is an unbelievable, surreal moment for me,” Edelman said when discussing his induction. “Just thinking about where I came from, my story. If you were to ask me my first day if I was going to be inducted into this Hall, I don’t think I would have said, ‘Yeah.’ It was such a long road. But being drafted here, playing my whole career here, being surrounded by the people that were the best examples to be around, if you wanted to stick around. The Tom Bradys, the Kevin Faulks early, the Tedy Bruschis early, the Matthew Slaters, the Devin McCourtys. Those guys challenged me in ways and made me put myself into a mindset to be the guy not to want to disappoint anyone. I think it was a blessing for me to come here.”
Edelman, who spent all 12 seasons of his NFL career with the Patriots, established himself as one of the greatest playoff wide receivers in NFL history, helping New England win three Super Bowls. His 118 postseason receptions rank third in NFL history and second among receivers, trailing only Travis Kelce (178) and Jerry Rice (151). His 1,442 postseason receiving yards also rank third, behind Rice (2,245) and Kelce (2,078). Edelman is one of just eight wide receivers to win Super Bowl MVP, earning the honor in 2019 with 10 receptions for 141 yards in the Patriots’ win over the Los Angeles Rams.
“I think it’s amazing to get to play my career just in New England. Were there times when I thought I was going to leave? Yeah. But that’s the business part of the sport,” Edelman said when discussing finishing his career in the same place he started. “Your feelings get hurt when you’re a young guy. They bring someone in, and they don’t give you the contract you want. There are so many emotions that get built up with that whole process that, did I think I was going to play somewhere else? Yeah. But didn’t want to. And thankfully, I didn’t. TB did hit me up after the Tampa thing, and you know, he just kind of said, ‘Do you want me to try to get down here?’ And at that point in my career, I was content with being here, so it’s a pretty amazing honor to get to play for one organization your whole career, because you don’t really see that very often anymore.”
Whether it was his diving fingertip catch on the game-tying drive in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LI against Atlanta, his 51-yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola on the double-pass in the third quarter of the Patriots’ 35-31 win over the Ravens in the 2015 Divisional Round, or his go-ahead 3-yard touchdown with 2:06 left in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIX against Seattle, Edelman — and his iconic playoff beard — was an all-time fan favorite.
“It’s a real crowd. You will get some boo-birds if you’re not playing the way you’re supposed to,” Edelman said on playing in New England. “But if you are playing well, and you do have success, there’s no other fan base that you’d rather have around you.”
The Hall of Fame ceremony, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the Patriot Place Plaza, just outside the Patriots Hall of Fame, beginning at 4 p.m. Edelman looks forward to it taking place at the place he calls home.
“This feels more like home than anywhere I’ve lived in the last five years, including my hometown,” he said.
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