What do these names have in common?
ESPN’s ‘The Brady 6’ Shows NFL Draft Is Really Just A Guess
Those were the six quarterbacks taken in the first 198 picks in the 2000 NFL draft -- all ahead of QB Tom Brady. The Patriots took a chance on Brady with the 199th pick and it turned out to be a historic one as he developed into arguably the greatest quarterback of all time.
Brady’s fall in the 2000 NFL draft was documented in ESPN’s ‘The Brady 6’ on Tuesday night and showed us how little some NFL talent evaluators really know. You can blame the 31 other NFL teams and say the Patriots were smart enough for picking Brady up but even they still waited five rounds and six quarterbacks to select him.
He barely made the roster in his first year as the Pats went with an unusual roster move carrying four quarterbacks. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said they felt Brady had some promise so they kept him on the roster in year one essentially wasting a roster spot as he didn’t play.
Other than Chad Pennington and Marc Bulger, the six quarterbacks selected ahead of him did little in the NFL further highlighting the insane nature of drafting NFL quarterbacks.
The documentary showed Steve Mariucci, head coach of the 49ers at the time, trying to defend his decision to select Carmazzi in the third round. He said Brady showed nothing at the 49ers local pro day prior to the draft, even with the great Bill Walsh in attendance. Mariucci suggested a preseason game against, oddly enough, the Patriots in which he was battered by defenders is what caused Carmazzi to lose confidence and start his career off on the wrong foot. Carmazzi never started a regular season game and was out of San Francisco by the end of his second year in the league.
One quarterback not part of 'The Brady 6', Drew Henson, also played a role in the story. Belichick had to figure out during the NFL draft process why Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr would want to start Henson over Brady. That's hardly a glowing endorsement of Brady's abilities.
While pretty much everyone doubted his abilities, Brady showed confidence throughout his football career. He once told Carr that he would prove to him he was the best quarterback on the Wolverines roster. After being drafted by the Patriots, he told owner Robert Kraft that he was the best decision the organization had ever made.
Brady’s words ended up being prophetic as he was not only the best decision the Patriots ever made, but possibly the best draft pick of all time.
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