A 5.3 40-yard dash and 24.5 inch vertical, Tom Brady's NFL combine outing was anything but spectacular

Tom Brady is an all-time great today, but in 2000, the quarterback was at the back of the line. One reason for him falling all the way to the sixth round was a tough combine outing that is seen as a punchline by today's NFL community.

Of course, what happened after the combine serves as a reminder that the NFL combine does not determine whether a player will succeed in the league.

Those that have a rough week in Indianapolis can recover over the next few years, even if they get drafted as late as Tom Brady. Of course, for plenty of players who struggle in the combine, they'll look back at this as the first or final nail in the coffin. That said, the combine is a glorified physical. The numbers recorded have an impact, but a tough week does not automatically equate to a rough NFL career.

Conversely, a breakout week in Indianapolis does not automatically mean a reservation in Canton. Plenty of prospects have succeeded or failed in every part of the combine spectrum. Tom Brady is the most extreme proof of that. In Indianapolis, the quarterback came off the blocks slowly and failed to jump off the 4:3 screen.

Tom Brady's week at the 2000 NFL combine

Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Carolina Panthers

Looking back at the highlights from the outing, the quarterback simply did not look like an NFL caliber player. Rather, he looked like someone in gym class. The most famous lowlight of the weekend was Brady's 40-yard-dash. Some would say it looked like he was running in slow motion. As a pocket quarterback, his game didn't require a fast sprinting time.

However, it showed scouts an inability to adapt if he needed to roll out of the pocket. It took him 4.58 to run 40 yards, or roughly half the field, for a possession starting at the 20-yard line. As such, it would likely take a full 11 seconds or longer for the quarterback to sprint from the 20-yard line to the endzone. At 4.58, the quarterback was falling within range of offensive linemen.

According to Sporting News, the quarterback was nearly last in every physical test. In the 40-yard dash, he finished 16th of 17 quarterbacks. In the vertical jump, he finished 12th of 12 quarterbacks.

In the broad jump, he finished 12th of 15 quarterbacks. In the three-cone drill, he finished fourth of 11 quarterbacks. In the shuttle run, he finished sixth of 11 quarterbacks. Of course, as it turns out, the quarterback finished first in career accomplishments.mplishments.