Pick 199

Pick 199 and the comeback kid are two accurate nicknames for the New England Patriots starting quarterback Tom Brady. Brady was a student athlete and attended Junipero Serra High School. His main focus was baseball, excelling as a catcher. His first year ever playing football was his freshman year, and sat the bench backing up the school’s starting quarterback. Brady didn’t want to continue playing, only to continue sitting on the bench. Only to find out that the starting quarterback wasn’t going to continue playing so that left the sport light on Brady.

Brady excelled, throwing almost 3,500 yards and 33 touchdowns in his junior and senior years. All that success then opened the doors of the University of Michigan. Similar to his freshman year in high school, Brady struggled to receive any playing time whatsoever. When enrolling in the university Brady was seventh on the depth chart. Sitting behind future NFL player Brian Griese. This bothered him so much that he actually made visits to a sports psychiatrist to cope with his struggles. In his later years at the university, Brady worked his way up the depth chart and found himself battling for the starting position against former MLB, and NFL player Drew Henson. He then started every game in the 1998 and 1999 seasons. In those two seasons, Brady led the University to a Citrus bowl victory as well as an Orange bowl victory and an overall record of 20-5 as a starter.

What does the comeback kid as a nickname have to do with anything? The 2000 NFL draft was underway. Brady, with the success that he knew he acquired was expecting to get drafted, but maybe not so late. Tom went all the way until the sixth round, as the 199th overall pick. Frustration and anger were two of many emotions flowing through his body. After getting drafted by the New England Patriots, his life a quarterback again didn’t come easy to him. Brady dealt and faced the same problems he has always been used to, being buried in the depth chart. Tom finally saw his opportunity to start for the New England Patriots after starting Quarterback Drew Bledsoe took a hit and remained out for the season. Brady then didn’t look back. Taking his new team to the team’s first franchise super bowl victory, then three more after that in 2003, 2004, and 2015. Because of simply outworking everybody, dedication and ambition paid off for Tom Brady. He is now considered one of the greatest of all time.