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PFT has recently begun an NCAA-style "bracket" of the best draft pick of all-time. A lot of countdowns and analysts consider Tom Brady to be the best draft pick of all-time, but that definition seems simplistic. It really depends on what you consider "the best draft pick" to mean. Few could argue that Brady is not the best value of all-time. Going 199th overall and being one of the greatest QBs to ever play the game is definitely going to trump everyone. Still, could you really say that the Patriots made the greatest pick of all-time. You have to consider that part of the draft is evaluation.
The Patriots chose the following players over Brady:
Adrian Klemm
J.R. Redmon
Greg Robinson-Randall
Dave Stachelski
Jeff Marriott
Antwan Harris
Can you really give a ton of credit to the Patriots' front office for selecting these players before Brady? True, the Patriots already had Drew Bledsoe and did not see a pressing need at quarterback, and **** Rehbein believed Brady was the second coming of Joe Montana. But then again, if you believed you had Joe Montana II on the board, would you roll the dice and allow 198 picks to pass before pulling the trigger?
Brady is no doubt one of the greatest players of all-time and, dare I say it, the luckiest draft pick of all-time. As much as the team is credited with this brilliant move while the 49ers are laughed at for drafting Carmen Giovanni (the 6th QB taken in the draft), the obvious truth is the Patriots were just a very lucky team who also tremendously undervalued Brady. As proof as to the relative value they assigned Brady, insiders revealed they couldn't decide between him or Tim Rattay.
When I think of the best draft picks of all-time, I have to consider Jerry Rice because of the context. Rice was drafted #16 overall by the 49ers, but they traded away their second round pick to get him. Few teams were interested in Rice: mainly the 49ers (with the last position) and the Cowboys (at number 17, may or may not have drafted him.) The reason this pick was so impressive was that Rice ran a 4.71 in the 40-yard dash.
I'm sure there are lots of other examples like Rice that show a team's willingness to sacrifice other picks to grab a player whose talent is apparent to their scouting department, even if the rest of the league cannot see it.
The Patriots chose the following players over Brady:
Adrian Klemm
J.R. Redmon
Greg Robinson-Randall
Dave Stachelski
Jeff Marriott
Antwan Harris
Can you really give a ton of credit to the Patriots' front office for selecting these players before Brady? True, the Patriots already had Drew Bledsoe and did not see a pressing need at quarterback, and **** Rehbein believed Brady was the second coming of Joe Montana. But then again, if you believed you had Joe Montana II on the board, would you roll the dice and allow 198 picks to pass before pulling the trigger?
Brady is no doubt one of the greatest players of all-time and, dare I say it, the luckiest draft pick of all-time. As much as the team is credited with this brilliant move while the 49ers are laughed at for drafting Carmen Giovanni (the 6th QB taken in the draft), the obvious truth is the Patriots were just a very lucky team who also tremendously undervalued Brady. As proof as to the relative value they assigned Brady, insiders revealed they couldn't decide between him or Tim Rattay.
When I think of the best draft picks of all-time, I have to consider Jerry Rice because of the context. Rice was drafted #16 overall by the 49ers, but they traded away their second round pick to get him. Few teams were interested in Rice: mainly the 49ers (with the last position) and the Cowboys (at number 17, may or may not have drafted him.) The reason this pick was so impressive was that Rice ran a 4.71 in the 40-yard dash.
I'm sure there are lots of other examples like Rice that show a team's willingness to sacrifice other picks to grab a player whose talent is apparent to their scouting department, even if the rest of the league cannot see it.