Twenty-one years ago on this date, football in New England changed forever when the Patriots made Tom Brady the 199th pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. In retrospect, it’s hard to believe Brady, who many would argue is the greatest quarterback of all-time, had to wait almost 200 picks to hear his name called, though there were certainly concerns about Brady’s profile coming out of Michigan, chiefly his lack of mobility.
To celebrate the 21st anniversary of the Patriots drafting Brady (today also happens to be his former coach Bill Belichick’s 69th birthday), Front Office Sports shared a clip from moments after Brady came off the board at 199, including instant analysis from ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper. “Smart, experienced,” said Kiper, describing some of Brady’s more notable traits to host Mike Tirico. “Accurate, throws a very catchable ball. He knows when to take a little off as well.”
Kiper noted that Brady cut his interception total in half as a senior at Ann Arbor while delivering at least one touchdown pass in each of his 16 games against Big Ten opponents. Still, after bombing the NFL Combine months earlier, Kiper wondered how Brady’s game would translate to the pros.
“He stands in that pocket very tough, he’ll take a hit. The question is going to be mobility. He only runs a 5.25 forty,” said Kiper. “You have to avoid the initial defensive end, the initial pass-rusher. Can he do that at the pro level?”
Kiper actually gave Brady too much credit—his official forty time was 5.28, among the slowest ever for an NFL signal-caller. Brady has taken the second-most sacks in league history (he’s four sacks from tying the all-time mark set by Brett Favre), though he’s also appeared in the most games with 346 combined regular and postseason appearances on his NFL odometer.
It’s hard to say how Brady would fare if he entered the league now as opposed to in 2000—pocket passers in Brady’s mold have largely gone the way of dinosaurs, replaced by dual threats like Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray. But to steal a quote from Sam Elliott’s character in The Big Lebowski, “he was the man for his time and place.”
Brady acknowledged Friday’s milestone on social media, joking that his NFL career is old enough to buy a beer, though as we learned at the Bucs’ chaotic Super Bowl parade, avocado tequila is more Tom’s jam these days.
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