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Tom Brady's draft-day struggles are legendary. He was the starting quarterback at Michigan and was repeatedly overlooked even though he had a good output in college. He fell all the way into the sixth-round of the 2000 NFL Draft and was picked up by the New England Patriots. The rest is history.
He is the biggest draft day steal in league history. For two decades, he led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl victories. He later joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and won again. He is the greatest quarterback the NFL has ever seen.
Looking back, it seems almost inconceivable that someone this good could have slipped down the pecking order so much. Even in college, Tom Brady was named the "Comeback Kid" for his ability to turn around losing situations. He won the 1999 Citrus Bowl and 2000 Orange Bowl. In his first year as a starter with them, he set the record for most completions and passing attempts in a season.
His college career almost foreshadowed his achievements in the NFL. But despite all his exploits in college, why was he then ignored for so long?
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Tom Brady's draft stock fell due to his perceived lack of mobility
Most teams were put off by his lack of mobility. He ran a 5.28-second 40-yard dash, which remains one of the slowest in the NFL since the turn of the millennium. He was tall and lanky and did not look particularly athletic. There were fears that he would not be able to handle the pass rushers who came his way. He also shared starting quarterback duties for some time with Drew Henson, something that did not scream out an automatic starter in the NFL.
However, he was a perfect fit for the Patriots, and they would have drafted him sooner if they hadn't had more pressing issues to address. The Patriots didn't need a quarterback who was particularly mobile. They needed someone who could drop back and pass accurately, which Tom Brady has been known to do since he was in college. They kept passing him up because they already had Drew Bledsoe as their starter and the position was not a priority for them.
Eventually, because no one else took a chance on him, he was still available for Bill Belichick to draft. As it turns out, Drew Bledsoe got injured in the next season and it opened the way for Tom Brady to come and replace him on the way to a legendary career.
