Tom Brady Offers Inspiration To Fellow Late-Round Draft Picks

With the 199th overall pick in the Sixth Round of the 2000 NFL Draft, the Patriots selected a tall, lanky kid named Tom Brady out of Michigan.

22 years later, Brady is a seven-time Super Bowl champion, perhaps the greatest player in the history of the NFL. Six quarterbacks were infamously drafted ahead of Brady, all of whom failed to replicate anything close to his career. The six were: Chad Pennington, Giovanni Carmazzi, Chris Redman, Tee Martin, Marc Bulger and Spergon Wynn.

You could say his slide in 2000 put a huge chip on his shoulder, the same chip you find on other late-round picks.

“A good place to find guys with a chip on their shoulder,” Brady said Saturday.

The quarterback class of this year's Draft might have the biggest chips on their shoulder, with just one (Kenny Pickett, 20th overall- Steelers) going in the First Round. Desmond Ridder (74th overall- Falcons), Malik Willis (86th overall- Titans) and Matt Corral (94th overall- Panthers) followed in the Third Round.

The Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick might be looking to find the next Brady, even after selecting Mac Jones 15th overall in the First Round last year. Belichick sent mild shockwaves throughout the NFL community when he selected Bailey Zappe with the 137th overall pick in the Fourth Round out of Western Kentucky Saturday.


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