Tom Brady’s resume speaks for itself—seven Super Bowl rings, countless records, and the undisputed GOAT title. He turned the Patriots into a dynasty, brought one more championship to Tampa Bay. And rewrote the QB playbook along the way. But before the trophies and the glory, Brady was the ultimate afterthought—a sixth-round pick in 2000 who sat through 198 names before hearing his own. That draft-day snub became the fuel for one of sports’ greatest underdog stories. Now, decades later, Brady still hasn’t forgotten how the scouts underestimated him.
And when a young QB like Shedeur Sanders faces similar doubts, Brady’s got some strong words. Both for the evaluators who get it wrong and the players who prove them right. The GOAT didn’t hold back during his Hall of Excellence press conference with Jim Gray at Las Vegas’ Fontainebleau Hotel & Casino. Brady’s tone turned razor-sharp when recalling his 2000 draft experience: “I had a decent college career, unbeknownst to any of the professional scouts, those are real geniuses.”
The sarcasm dripped as he described waiting until pick 199—a slight that still stings 24 years later. His draft-day frustration came alive as he admitted, “I had the baseball bat from that day that. I was walking around the block hitting trees and shrubs… as a way to blow off steam.”
“So, I had a decent college career, unbeknownst to any NFL scouts – real geniuses. That draft pick resulted in me being selected as a 6th-round pick, 199th overall, by the New England Patriots.”
Tom Brady and Jim Gray host a press conference for the Hall of Excellence at the… pic.twitter.com/clCB71FVGM
— Vegas Sports Today (@VegasSportsTD) June 19, 2025
That 199th pick still tells a fascinating story about how NFL teams evaluate quarterbacks. Brady went behind six other passers – including three who’d never start a game and one future Pro Bowler, Marc Bulger. The Patriots’ own words revealed their uncertainty: “They chose me to be on their team, not necessarily their quarterback.“
There’s no bitterness here, just the cold math of draft history. For every scout who overlooked Brady, there was someone like New England‘s Dick Rehbein fighting to draft him. It’s not that evaluations were wrong – they’re just human. And like any human endeavor, sometimes the best gems get found in the rough.
Brady’s journey mirrors today’s QB debates – except now, he’s the voice in young passers’ ears. When the Browns drafted Shedeur Sanders in April, the same old draft-day doubts resurfaced. Guess who was ready with hard-earned wisdom?
Tom Brady’s unfiltered draft advice to Shedeur Sanders
When Shedeur Sanders slid to the Browns at pick 144 last April, Tom Brady recognized the script immediately. In May, on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast, the seven-time champ revealed the text he sent Sanders, “Dude, whatever happens, wherever you go, that’s your first day. Day 2 matters more than the draft. I was 199. So, who could speak on it better than me?” The advice cut straight to Brady’s core belief—draft position fades fast. “Use it as motivation. You’re gonna get your chances, go take advantage of it.”
Their connection runs deeper than draft slides. Sanders had inked an NIL deal with Brady’s brand at Jackson State, long before his Colorado transfer. Brady knew the noise around sliding QBs—he’d watched Aaron Rodgers face it in 2005 (“I’m like, ‘Dude, you’re the 21st pick…they still think you’re pretty good”). But his message focused on what comes next.
Sanders now battles Kenny Pickett and veterans in Cleveland, where Brady’s words loom large: “As a quarterback, you have to be a leader…do I care about my teammates and what we’re trying to accomplish?” Brady doubled down on his draft-day philosophy, calling it “some overhyped day” compared to the real work (“learn a playbook, be part of a locker room“). He’d seen it firsthand with Patriots legends like Wes Welker and Julian Edelman—undrafted or late picks who outworked their draft slots.
Brady’s journey from pick 199 to GOAT status remains the NFL’s ultimate draft redemption story. His recent comments at the Fontainebleau event didn’t just revisit old frustrations – they highlighted how little draft position ultimately matters for those willing to outwork the system. The same applies to Shedeur Sanders’ new chapter in Cleveland, who, too, waited 5 rounds and 144 picks to hear his name called.
So, scouts will always miss on some players while hitting on others. What separates the greats isn’t where they’re picked, but what they do after the draft ends. Brady proved it over twenty seasons. Now, Sanders gets his chance to do the same, wearing that same number 12 jersey!
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