Brady & Purdy - inside two of the NFL's biggest draft steals

Little was expected of nan Michigan backmost selected by nan New England Patriots pinch nan 199th prime of nan 2000 draft.

It turned retired to beryllium nan biggest bargain successful NFL draught history arsenic that subordinate went connected to go nan NFL's top of each time.

Tom Brady retired past year arsenic a grounds seven-time Super Bowl winner, but now different precocious draught prime is making an unexpected effect successful nan NFL.

The San Francisco 49ers took Brock Purdy pinch nan 262nd and last prime of nan 2022 draught and, successful February, nan backmost emulated Brady by reaching nan Super Bowl successful conscionable his 2nd season.

So fixed really overmuch scouting is done connected draught prospects, why were 2 early stars overlooked for truthful long?

Brady had to activity his measurement up nan extent floor plan astatine assemblage to go Michigan's starting quarterback, and moreover past had to conflict to support nan role.

He impressed NFL scouts pinch his poise nether unit but his draught banal fell aft immoderate underwhelming beingness trial results astatine nan NFL Combine, wherever he besides posed for a famously unflattering shirtless picture., external

Brady is arguably successful amended style astatine 46. In February, he attempted to hit his 40-yard dash clip of 5.28 seconds from 2000 and ran 5.18., external

Following nan draught astatine location successful California, Brady and his family hoped he would beryllium picked successful nan 2nd aliases 3rd round. Scott Pioli, meanwhile, was successful New England's 'war room'.

"He was a subordinate that we liked, but intelligibly didn't love," nan Patriots' erstwhile head of subordinate unit told BBC Sport.

"We had a bully people connected Brady and started talking astir him earnestly successful nan 4th information - but not conscionable him. You ever talk astir a group of players because you don't cognize who's going to vanish disconnected nan committee earlier you pick."

Drafting a backmost was not a privilege for nan Patriots arsenic they already had 3 they were committed to financially - and nan earlier a subordinate is drafted, nan much their rookie statement is worth.

"When you're drafting and building your roster, you person to attraction connected a operation of champion subordinate disposable and what your squad needs are, truthful you benignant of spell backmost and distant connected definite things," adds Pioli.

"Although we started talking astir Brady successful nan 4th round, we had different players that we felt were arsenic as bully astatine their positions that could thief us, truthful we passed him by a mates of times."

Brady was still disposable precocious successful nan sixth round. Six quarterbacks had already been drafted and Brady later said he memorised their names for information during his 23-year career.

"When we sewage to prime 199, we had him successful a spot connected nan committee each unsocial by himself," says Pioli. "We had these different players that we liked, but we're for illustration 'this feline is excessively precocious a worth to spell past again. We cognize we person 3 quarterbacks already but there's a batch of things we for illustration astir him'."

San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan recovered himself successful a akin business successful 2022, arsenic nan 49ers prepared to make nan past pick.

They didn't request a backmost either, they traded up to return Trey Lance pinch nan 3rd wide prime nan twelvemonth before.

But while his scouts and coaches debated nan team's biggest need, Shanahan was persuaded to spell pinch his gut, external and return nan champion subordinate left.

Although NFL scouts were unimpressed by Purdy's athleticism, he gained immense crippled acquisition successful 4 years astatine Iowa State truthful nan 49ers had a fourth-round people connected him.

"The jump from nan assemblage crippled to nan NFL is much intelligence than physical," says erstwhile 49ers violative tackle Joe Staley. "The processing has to hap truthful overmuch quicker.

"From a players' perspective, you want a backmost who has a calm assurance and is dependable and consistent, and for Brock to show that early [in his career] speaks to his character.

"That's really difficult to find and nan Niners person done a awesome occupation of precocious successful identifying those qualities successful him and different guys that person possibly not been nan astir talented aliases physically talented coming retired of college."

Pioli and Staley person seen top-10 draught picks flop and undrafted players bask 10-year careers.

"The draught sets expectations for players but they are quality beings," says Pioli. "There's tons of factors that travel into their development.

"Most of what we liked astir Tommy [Brady] was his developmental skills and make-up. People telephone them intangibles - things for illustration intelligence, activity ethic, focus.

"We thought that successful time, successful our programme, he would develop. But location has to beryllium this confluence of timing, circumstance, situation, and past opportunity. It was correct for Tommy - and it's correct for Brock Purdy now."

The draught tin beryllium a lottery, but Staley says anyone selecting players this play should prioritise those who "understand regular and really to beryllium consistent", specified arsenic erstwhile team-mate George Kittle, now 1 of nan NFL's champion tight ends.

"When he was a rookie he was not nan George Kittle everybody knows now, but he perfectly loved nan game," adds Staley, who ended his 13-year profession successful 2020.

"He surrounded himself pinch seasoned players, perpetually asking astir our preparation, really we saw nan game, what he could do each time to amended himself.

"Guys for illustration Brock person nan aforesaid traits truthful it's nary surprise, erstwhile you've been successful a locker room, to spot a feline for illustration him win erstwhile fixed an opportunity because he's prepared himself for it."