Six quarterbacks.
That’s how many guys were taken before the New England Patriots finally turned in a card for a skinny kid from Michigan. Everyone knows the number 199. It’s become a badge of honor, a piece of sports mythology that feels more like a tall tale every year. But honestly, if you go back to April 2000, nobody thought they were watching history. Most people just thought they were watching a guy who might not even make a training camp roster.
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The 2000 nfl draft tom brady experienced wasn't some romantic underdog story at the time. It was a cold, hard evaluation of a player who didn't look the part, didn't run the part, and barely seemed to have a locked-down starting job in college.
The Scouting Report That Aged Like Milk
If you want a laugh, go find the original scouting notes on Brady. They read like an insult comedy routine. "Poor build," "skinny," "lacks a really strong arm." One scout famously wrote that he "can't drive the ball down the field."
He looked like a guy who had never seen a weight room. That famous shirtless combine photo? Yeah, he looked more like a local insurance salesman than a professional athlete.
- 40-Yard Dash: 5.28 seconds. (For context, that's slower than many offensive linemen).
- Vertical Leap: 24.5 inches.
- Broad Jump: 99 inches.
He was the tallest quarterback there, but he was also the slowest. In a league that was starting to value "measurables" and "raw upside," Brady was a zero. He was basically the anti-prospect.
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Why He Actually Fell to the Sixth Round
There is a common misconception that scouts were just blind. They weren't. They were looking at a guy who had to fight for every snap at Michigan. Coach Lloyd Carr was in a tough spot—he had a "phenom" in Drew Henson who was threatening to go play professional baseball if he didn't get playing time. So, Brady spent his senior year in a weird platoon system.
Imagine being an NFL GM. You see a senior quarterback who can't even convince his own college coach to let him play the whole game. It's a massive red flag.
Bill Belichick and the Patriots actually had a higher grade on him than the sixth round. But they already had three quarterbacks on the roster, including a franchise star in Drew Bledsoe. They didn't need Brady. They just kept looking at their draft board and seeing this name that shouldn't be there. Eventually, at pick 199, the value was just too high to pass up.
The "Brady 6"
We have to talk about the guys who went first. It’s the ultimate "What If" for six different franchises.
- Chad Pennington (Jets) – The only one who had a truly solid career.
- Giovanni Carmazzi (49ers) – Never played a regular-season snap. He’s now a yoga enthusiast who owns goats.
- Chris Redman (Ravens) – Had a decent backup career.
- Tee Martin (Steelers) – A college legend who couldn't find his footing in the pros.
- Marc Bulger (Saints) – Actually became a Pro Bowler for the Rams later on.
- Spergon Wynn (Browns) – Played in only 10 games total.
Basically, with the exception of Pennington and Bulger, these teams spent high picks on guys who did virtually nothing. Meanwhile, the Patriots got the GOAT for the price of a compensatory pick.
The Myth of the "Greatest Decision"
There’s a legendary story that Brady walked up to Robert Kraft and said, "I'm the best decision this organization has ever made."
It makes for a great movie scene. But even Brady has admitted over the years that he probably didn't say it exactly like that. He was a 22-year-old kid trying to make a team. He says he likely told Kraft, "You’ll never regret picking me."
It’s less arrogant, but just as prophetic.
What really happened during that 2000 rookie season was a lot of grinding. Brady was the fourth-stringer. Most sixth-round picks in that position get cut by September. But Brady was different. He stayed late. He memorized the playbook. He treated every practice like the Super Bowl. When he finally got his shot in 2001 after Mo Lewis knocked Drew Bledsoe out of the game, he was ready because he’d been playing that game in his head for eighteen months.
Lessons from the 199th Pick
You can't scout "it." You can't measure a guy's brain or his heart at a scouting combine.
The nfl draft tom brady story isn't just about a guy being overlooked. It's about a shift in how we think about talent. Since Brady, teams have spent billions trying to find "the next Brady"—the late-round gem with the "intangibles." Usually, they just end up with more guys like Spergon Wynn.
If you're looking for the "secret sauce," it's probably not in the 40-yard dash. It’s in the way he handled being the 199th pick. He didn't come in with a chip on his shoulder; he came in with a sledgehammer. He used that draft position to fuel a twenty-three-year career that changed the sport forever.
How to Apply the "Brady Mindset" Today
If you're an athlete or just someone trying to move up in your career, there are real takeaways here:
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- Ignore the "Measurables": People will always tell you what you lack. Brady lacked speed and strength. He focused on accuracy and processing. Find your "force multiplier."
- Preparation Over Pedigree: Being a first-round pick doesn't guarantee success, and being a sixth-rounder doesn't guarantee failure. The work you do when nobody is watching (like Brady as a fourth-stringer) is what matters.
- Capitalize on the One Shot: Most people get one big opportunity. Brady got his because of an injury to a teammate. He didn't let go of the starting job for two decades.
The next time the draft rolls around and you see a guy sitting in the green room late into the second day, don't write him off. Someone is always looking for the next 199.
To really understand the impact of that draft, you should look into the "compensatory pick" formula that gave New England the pick in the first place. It’s a fascinating bit of NFL bureaucracy that ended up birthed a dynasty.