Why Tom Brady was overlooked in the NFL Draft and why it was more than luck that led him to the Patriots

• Tom Brady was the 199th pick in the NFL Draft and is now considered the greatest quarterback ever.
• The Pats wanted Brady and would have taken him earlier if not for the mess at many other positions.
• The Patriots did not need another quarterback at the time, but he was too good to keep skipping.

In 2000, the New England Patriots were a mess.

The Pats lost six of their final eight games during the 1999 season and fired head coach Pete Carroll. They hired Bill Belichick, and the team made the biggest steal in NFL Draft history: selecting Tom Brady in the sixth round.

Snagging Brady late in the draft was a move that would win the franchise nine AFC titles and six Super Bowls in the next 20 seasons.