Why Was Tom Brady Drafted So Late: Unravelling the Mystery Behind One of Football’s Greatest Players

Tom Brady is widely considered one of the greatest football players of all time. His success and accomplishments on the field have earned him the respect of fans and players alike. Yet, in the 2000 NFL Draft, he was selected in the 6th round – a surprisingly low pick for someone with such immense talent. The mystery behind why Tom Brady was drafted so late remains, but by examining the circumstances of the 2000 draft and looking at the New England Patriots’ strategies at the time, it is possible to unravel why Brady was picked so late in the draft.

Why Was Tom Brady Drafted So Late?

Tom Brady was drafted in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft with the 199th overall pick. This was mainly due to his lack of prototypical size for an NFL quarterback, as he was 6’4″ and only weighed about 210 lbs. Additionally, Brady had a mediocre college career at Michigan, where he posted a 28-17 record as a starter and threw 35 interceptions compared to just 30 touchdowns. Despite these factors, Brady has become one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.

Overview Of Tom Brady’s career

1. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft with the 199th overall pick.
2. Won five Super Bowls and four Super Bowl MVP awards as a member of the New England Patriots.
3. Named to 14 Pro Bowls, with nine first-team All-Pro selections.
4. He holds numerous NFL records, including regular season wins, and touchdown passes for a quarterback.
5. Signed with Tampa Bay Buccaneers before the 2020 season and led them to a Super Bowl victory in 2021.
6. Named NFL MVP thrice (2007, 2010, 2017).
7. Led Patriots to 16 division titles and 11 consecutive AFC title game appearances from 2001-2011.
8. He Has thrown for over 70,000 yards in his career, making him the all-time leader in passing yards among quarterbacks who have never changed teams during their careers (as of 2021).
9. Holds numerous postseason records, including most passing yards, passing touchdowns, completions, and wins.
10. Named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 2005.

Review Of The 2000 NFL Draft

• The 2000 NFL Draft was a deep draft for talent, as it featured six Pro Football Hall of Famers: LaDainian Tomlinson, Shaun Alexander, Brian Urlacher, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and Chad Johnson.
• The first overall pick in the draft was quarterback Chad Pennington to the New York Jets.
• The San Diego Chargers selected running back LaDainian Tomlinson with the fifth overall pick, while the Seattle Seahawks selected running back Shaun Alexander with the 19th overall pick.
• Linebacker Brian Urlacher was taken with the ninth overall pick by the Chicago Bears, and quarterback Drew Brees went to the San Diego Chargers with the 32nd overall pick.
• Quarterback Tom Brady was selected by the New England Patriots in the sixth round with the 199th overall pick, and wide receiver Chad Johnson went to Cincinnati Bengals in round two with the 36th overall selection.
• Defensive tackle John Henderson was taken by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the ninth overall selection, while wide receiver Plaxico Burress went to the Pittsburgh Steelers with the eighth overall pick.
• The Dallas Cowboys selected linebacker Dat Nguyen in round three with the 85th overall pick, while the San Francisco 49ers took linebacker Julian Peterson in round one with the 16th overall selection.
• Quarterback Marc Bulger was taken by the New Orleans Saints with the 168th overall pick in round six, and defensive tackle Shaun Rogers went to Detroit Lions in round two with the 61st overall selection.
• Tight end Bubba Franks was selected by Green Bay Packers in round one with the 28th overall pick, while defensive tackle Corey Simon went to Philadelphia Eagles in round one at No. 6 overall.
• Wide receiver David Terrell was taken by Chicago Bears in round one with the eighth overall selection, while kicker Sebastian Janikowski went to Oakland Raiders in round one at No. 17 overall.

Analysis Of The New England Patriots’ Strategies In 2000

1. The Patriots drafted Tom Brady with the 199th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.
2. Brady’s lack of prototypical size and mediocre college career at Michigan led to him being drafted late in the draft.
3. Despite these factors, Brady has gone on to become one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.
4. The Patriots’ strategies in 2000 included drafting Brady and building a team around him.
5. The Patriots’ success in 2000 is largely due to their ability to draft and develop talent around Brady.
6. The Patriots’ 2000 season was their first winning season in eight years.
7. The Patriots’ success in 2000 led to them making the playoffs the following year.
8. In the playoffs, the Patriots faced the St. Louis Rams, who were a much better team than they had been in the regular season.
9. Despite trailing by 14 points at halftime, the Patriots came back and won 34-31, known as “The Miracle at the New Meadowlands.”
10. The Patriots’ success in 2000 led to them being considered one of the best teams of all time.

Reasons Why Tom Brady Was Drafted Late

• His lack of prototypical size for an NFL quarterback, as he was only 6’4″ and only weighed about 210 lbs.
• His mediocre college career at Michigan, where he posted a 28-17 record as a starter and threw 35 interceptions compared to just 30 touchdowns.
• Despite these factors, Brady has gone on to become one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.
• Brady’s ability to make plays with his feet – he has thrown more touchdown passes on the ground (47) than in the air (43).
• Brady’s resilience – after being drafted by the New England Patriots in 2000, he went through three different starting quarterbacks before finally establishing himself as the team’s leader in 2007.
• Brady’s leadership skills – he is known for his strong work ethic and ability to motivate his teammates, which has led to him being awarded numerous accolades, including five Super Bowl titles and two MVP awards.
• Brady’s accuracy – his passer rating of 95.8 is the second highest in NFL history, behind only Peyton Manning.
• Brady’s ability to make plays under pressure – he has completed 68% of his passes when the pressure is on, which is the highest percentage in NFL history.
• Brady’s ability to extend plays – he has completed 846 passes that have gone for 10 or more yards, which is the third-highest total in NFL history.
• Brady’s ability to win games – he has led his team to a record-breaking 71% victory rate in regular season games, which is the second-highest percentage in NFL history.

Brady’s Impact On The Patriots

1. Brady has led the Patriots to five Super Bowls, winning two of them (2004, 2007).
2. Brady has led the Patriots to an overall record of 628-466, with a winning percentage of .606.
3. Brady has won at least one MVP award (2007) and four Super Bowl MVP awards (2004, 2005, 2007, 2015).
4. Brady has been selected to 11 Pro Bowls.
5. Brady is the all-time leader in passing yards (71,848), touchdown passes (508), and completion percentage (.662).
6. Brady is the only quarterback in NFL history to have at least 50,000 passing yards and 5,000 rushing yards.
7. Brady is the only player in NFL history to have at least 50,000 passing yards and 10,000 rushing yards.
8. Brady has led the Patriots to an average of 33.8 points per game over his career.
9. Brady has led the Patriots to at least one playoff victory in 11 out of 12 seasons.
10. Brady is the only quarterback in NFL history to have at least 50,000 passing yards and 5,000 rushing yards.

Conclusion

There is no question that Tom Brady was selected in the 6th round of the NFL Draft because of his talent and skill. The question, then, is why Brady was selected so late in the draft. There are a few possible explanations. First, there were doubts about Brady’s health. Second, there were concerns that Brady was not a good fit for the offensive systems commonly used in the NFL. Third, there were concerns that Brady was “too nice” to lead an NFL team. Whatever the reason was, though, it’s clear that Brady has since proven the NFL wrong. He is one of the greatest football players and has earned a place in the Hall of Fame.