[jwplayer ECuYPUvP-XNcErKyb]
20 years ago today, New England took a shot in the sixth-round on a quarterback who had just spent five years in Ann Arbor. And it turned out to be the best decision that Bill Belichick ever made.
With the No. 199 pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, the Patriots selected Michigan quarterback Tom Brady, who went on to win six Super Bowls in Foxborough, the most of any NFL player and widely acknowledged as the greatest of all time.
But, given how much fans pay attention to ESPN NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr., what did he think of Brady?
It turns out, he thought quite highly of him, not enough to give him a significantly better projection, but still was quite bullish on his potential.
Tom Brady, QB, Michigan (6-4¼, 211 pounds)
Overall: Fifth-round grade | Position rank: No. 10 quarterback
Smart, experienced big-game signal-caller, getting very high grades in the efficiency department this past season. Brady cut his interception total from ’98 in half, tossing 20 TD passes compared to just six interceptions. He threw for 2,586 yards, completing an impressive 62.8% of his aerials. For his efforts, Brady was named team MVP. After working as Brian Griese’s backup in ’97, Brady went on to start 25 straight games with the Wolverines.
He’s a straight dropback passer who stands tall in the pocket, doesn’t show nervous feet, and does a nice job working through his progressions. He’s not going to try to force the action, rarely trying to perform beyond his capability. He threw a TD pass in all 16 games he started against Big Ten opposition, while tossing 15 straight completions during the second half of action this past season against Michigan State. He’s accurate, throws a very catchable ball, and also knows when to take a little off the pass.
This past season, Brady completed over 60% of his passes in eight games. The only time he was really off the mark was against Penn State, when he completed just 17 of 36 passes, tossing two TD strikes compared to three interceptions. At the pro level, his lack of mobility could surface as a problem, and it will be interesting to see how he fares when forced to take more chances down the field.
Sure, he doesn’t have the total package of skills, but you have to be impressed with his level of performance this past season against Notre Dame (17-of-24), Wisconsin (17-of-27), Michigan State (30-of-41), Ohio State (17-of-27), and Alabama (34-of-46 for 369 yards and 4 TDs).
Combine note: Ran a 5.24 40-yard dash and had a 24½-inch vertical jump.
It turned out that Brady’s mobility, while limited compared to some others, wasn’t much of a problem, and when forced to take chances downfield, he’s quite adept.
And Brady improved on those accuracy numbers to boot. In his career, he’s completed 63.8% of his passes over the course of a 19-year career.