Draft position doesn’t matter in the NFL.
Great players find their way on the field regardless if they were selected in the later rounds or went undrafted at all.
In contrast, there are some highly-touted prospects who never lived up to the hype.
That said, CBS Sports Senior NFL Writer Will Brinson pointed out the draft position of the current starters for the NFC South squads.
NFC South QB draft position/history is hilarious:
Jameis Winston – 1st overall (2015)
Marcus Mariota – 2nd overall (2015)
Sam Darnold – 3rd overall (2018)
Tom Brady – 199th overall (2000)— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) March 21, 2022
Brinson pointed out that the New Orleans Saints’ Jameis Winston and the Atlanta Falcons’ Marcus Mariota went first and second overall in 2015.
Three years later, current Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold went third overall to the New York Jets.
Finally, Tom Brady went 199th overall to the New England Patriots in the 2000 draft.
Six quarterbacks were drafted before Brady, and only one of them won a Super Bowl but as a backup.
One of those quarterbacks, Hofstra’s Giovanni Carmazzi, didn’t even suit up in an NFL regular-season game.
The Draft Isn’t A Fool-Proof Science
NFL teams devote time and resources to select the player that will help their team the most.
Sometimes, they base their decision on measurables like Combine stats or Pro Day performances.
However, Brady is living proof that both events mean nothing.
The former Michigan standout ran the 40-yard dash in over five seconds and performed poorly during his Combine.
Those numbers could be the reason he did not go earlier than expected.
If it all boiled down to in-field talent, though, Brady’s one of the best.
At 45 years old, he’s still putting up MVP-like numbers and led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to victory in Super Bowl LV.
With an NFL roster comprised of 53 men, general managers should find a way to stock their team with great talent in the later rounds.
That’s what the Patriots were able to do and they were able to reap their rewards.
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