The New England Patriots found the centerpiece of their 20-year dynasty late in the 2000 NFL Draft when they selected a quarterback named Tom Brady.
The Patriots already had Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who had just turned 28 years old and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1993 NFL Draft.
“He’s a good, tough, competitive, smart quarterback that is a good value and [we’ll see] how he does and what he’ll be able to do,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said after drafting Brady. “We’ll just put him out there with everybody else and let him compete and see what happens.”
Brady got his chance to play in 2001 when Bledsoe suffered a gruesome injury, and it’s safe to say he made the most of his opportunity. The seven-time Super Bowl champion
Where in the 2000 NFL Draft Was Tom Brady Drafted?
Brady was selected with pick No. 199 in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Talent evaluators didn’t think very highly of Brady throughout the pre-draft process, and his unimpressive NFL Scouting Combine performance certainly didn’t help his case. He was passed up repeatedly in favor of other prospects coming out of college that year.
Brady was the seventh quarterback taken in that draft. The six quarterbacks selected ahead of Brady that year were Chad Pennington, Giovanni Carmazzi, Chris Redman, Tee Martin, Marc Bulger, and Spergon Wynn.
MORE: Looking Back On Tom Brady’s First NFL Start
With Pennington and Bulger being the only players drafted in front of Brady who amounted to anything in the NFL, it goes without saying that every team in the league missed on him several times throughout that draft process and ended up kicking themselves over that decision.
Brady and His Historic Career
Throughout his 23-year NFL career, Brady would win seven Super Bowls — six with the Patriots and one final trophy with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers later in his career before he ultimately retired following the 2022 season.
Brady would end up starting 381 games in 23 seasons throughout his time in the NFL, which is the most for a quarterback in league history.
Brady would go on to win 251 regular-season games and 35 postseason games; he holds a .754 all-time winning percentage, which is the highest among all quarterbacks who have started at least 100 games.
Brady also holds the NFL record for most passing yards (89,214) and passing touchdowns (649).
KEEP READING: Revisiting Each of Tom Brady’s Super Bowl Victories
When you speak about Brady, there is only one way to address him — he’s the greatest of all time. His body of work and the path it took for him to get here is unrivaled, and his career will live on forever.
