The Patriots agreed to a contract extension with Tom Brady Sunday that will allow the quarterback to play past his age-42 season, an unthinkable situation back when he was drafted 199th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft.
Did the Patriots see something special in him early, or was it just dumb luck?
According to a story by Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports, the Patriots took a liking to Brady after a workout at Michigan and gave him a third round grade. They were particularly attracted to his ability to come up big in games against ranked opponents and the fact that he didn't transfer from Michigan when faced with a constant position battle.
Here's what Brady's coach at Michigan at the time, Lloyd Carr had to say about his handling of the situation:
I've always respected and admired Tom. Not just as a quarterback but as a leader. I assure you he did not want to share the quarterback job and yet as the head coach, it's my decision to look at the big picture. There aren't many guys I have coached that could handle the situation like Tom did, and that is one of the reasons I felt comfortable in doing it because I knew what kind of a guy he is made of. In the long term, I think Tom will be able to say it was the most difficult situation he has been in.
Carr was so confident in Brady's ability to play at the next level that he told Patriots player personnel director Bobby Grier, "You will never regret drafting Tom Brady."
New England Patriots
Even though the Patriots had a third round grade on Brady, they didn't pick him until the sixth. That was primarily due to Bill Belichick having to institute a significant rebuild, so they used their early and mid-round picks on lineman and skill players. They also didn't need a quarterback with Drew Bledsoe on the roster.
Though when Brady was still available in the sixth round, the Patriots could no longer pass up that kind of value.
The Patriots' decision to draft Brady would change the landscape of the NFL for nearly 20 years, resulting in six Super Bowls and a run of dominance no franchise has much hope to repeat in the future.
It's not always an obvious decision on who you decide to draft. Sometimes teams ignore the little things, and it's safe to say the Patriots haven't been that kind of team since Belichick took over.
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