Forget the Tom Brady you know today, the icon soaked in championships. He was simply Tom Brady in 2000, a quarterback from Michigan who no one appeared to be interested in. He was drafted 199th overall, and every club that passed him up found him to be a thorn in their side.
Back then, Brady wasn’t a sure thing. Even the Patriots, who eventually selected him, passed on him several times, even though he was the seventh quarterback selected overall. The shocking thing is that these six quarterbacks who came before him will always be associated with Brady and compared to his unparalleled achievements. Not one even comes close to his trophy case, but let’s compare their results.
Marc Bulger, No. 168 overall
Marc Bulger, the 168th overall selection chosen by the New Orleans Saints, was selected only thirty-one selections before Brady heard his name called.
It’s easy to assume the league wasn’t very high on the West Virginia product either, given his selection position. With just eight choices, Bulger had a successful junior season with the Mountaineers, throwing for 3,178 yards and 27 touchdowns. However, as a senior, he struggled a lot, tossing more interceptions (13) than touchdowns (11), making organizations doubt his ability to play at the next level.
Bulger was cut during training camp and then spent time on the practice squad of the Atlanta Falcons before signing a contract with the St. Louis Rams.
After replacing Kurt Warner as the team’s permanent starter in 2003, Bulger spent eight seasons in St. Louis. He was selected to two Pro Bowls and helped the Rams to the playoffs in both of those seasons.
In his 45th game, he became the fastest player ever to accomplish 1,000 career completions, breaking the previous record set by Warner by two.
Getting both of a draft class’s best quarterbacks picked in the sixth round is uncommon, but it did occur in 2000.
Marc Bulger NFL Career Stats
| Seasons | 8 |
| Games/Starts | 96/95 |
| Record | 41-54 |
| Comp% | 62.1 |
| Pass yards | 22,814 |
| Pass TD | 122 |
| Interceptions | 93 |
| Rating | 84.4 |
Chad Pennington Number 18 Overall
It took 18 selections for the first quarterback to be selected because the 2000 quarterback class was viewed as very poor by the league as a whole. The New York Jets’ choice, Marshall’s Chad Pennington, was awarded the accolade.
Pennington was from a lesser conference, but his work was excellent. Throughout his three seasons, he passed for 100 touchdowns (25 to Randy Moss in ’97) and 30 interceptions, improving his accuracy and efficiency each year.
Pennington had a solid NFL career, and he would have received less criticism now if he hadn’t been drafted in the same round as Brady.
Pennington is the only player to have won Comeback Player of the Year twice in his 11 years in the league. He also topped the league in completion percentage twice. While this accomplishment is remarkable, it highlights the turmoil Pennington faced. His performance was erratic, and he had many injuries.
Even while it wasn’t the legendary career Pennington and the Jets had in mind on draft night, an 11-year career with 17,823 throwing yards is still a significant accomplishment.
Stats for Chad Pennington’s NFL Career
| Time of year | 11 |
| Start/games | 89 out of 81 |
| Keep a record | 44-37 |
| Comp% | 66.0 |
| Passage yards | 17,823 |
| Obtain TD | 102 |
| Interceptions | 64 |
| Rating | 90.1 |
Chris Redman, 75th place overall
Redman was a rookie backup who won a Super Bowl. In 2000, the Baltimore Ravens selected Chris Redman of Louisville with the 75th overall pick. After that, he started a dismal professional career, including stops in Atlanta, Tennessee, New England, and even the Arena Football League.
Redman, however, is the only quarterback from the draft class other than TB12 who can legitimately claim to be a Super Bowl winner because he appeared in two games as the Ravens’ backup during their 2000 championship run.
However, that was the height of Redman’s NFL achievement. Redman played professional football for more than ten years, counting his several stints at training camps. Though he only had 12 starts and performed 4–8 in those contests, that is more than other players on this list can claim.
Chris Redman NFL Career Stats
| Seasons | 8 |
| Games/Starts | 30/12 |
| Record | 4-8 |
| Comp% | 57.2 |
| Pass yards | 3,179 |
| Pass TD | 21 |
| Interception | 14 |
| Rating | 78.6 |
Wynn Spergon, Number 183 Overall
Wynn spent several years playing in the CFL. Spergon Wynn, the final quarterback selected before Brady, was selected by the Cleveland Browns 183rd overall.
Wynn had just finished a season at Texas State with 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. It was believed that he might go to the next level and become a better player, but that never happened.
After his rookie season, Wynn was sent to Europe to further his development. He spent a season with the Amsterdam Admirals before rejoining the Minnesota Vikings for the 2001 season. Throughout his career, he participated in ten games, starting three of them. He passed for seven interceptions and just one touchdown. Wynn continued his career by performing in Canada.
Spergon Wynn NFL Career Stats
| Seasons | 2 |
| Games/start | 10/3 |
| Record | 0-3 |
| Comp% | 46.1 |
| Pass yards | 585 |
| Pass TD | 1 |
| Interception | 7 |
| Rating | 39.5 |
Tee Martin Number 163 overall
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Tee Martin late in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, but he never materialized as a starter.
To put it another way, Martin was not a good football thrower. Throughout his four years at Tennessee, he only started the first two as a backup to Peyton Manning, never surpassing 57.3% completion percentage and peaking at 2,317 passing yards and 19 touchdowns.
It may have been because of his reputation as a fantastic athlete and his ability to pressure the passer that the Steelers chose him over Brady. Unfortunately, Martin played in just three NFL games and finished his career with just six completions.
The loss of Brady is not entirely mitigated by the fact that Pittsburgh would find Ben Roethlisberger, their franchise quarterback, a few years later.
Tee Martin NFL Career Stats
| Season | 2 |
| Games/start | 3/0 |
| Record | 0-0 |
| Comp% | 37.5 |
| Pass yard | 69 |
| Pass TD | 0 |
| Interception | 1 |
| Rating | 25.3 |
Giovanni Carmazzi, Number 65 Overall
Another small-school quarterback who attracted the attention of NFL scouts was Giovanni Carmazzi. Carmazzi broke records throughout his tenure at Hofstra, concluding his college career with program records for touchdowns, throwing yards, and completion percentage. He was praised for his qualities and intelligence in addition to his archetypal stature, elite status, and rushing prowess. Although Brady’s Wonderlic score was one point higher, he still had one of the highest Wonderlic scores of any quarterback.
Though theoretically, Carmazzi was worth a high pick, the 49ers from San Francisco realized early on that they had made a mistake in selecting him at No. 65 overall. To put it mildly, Carmazzi’s game did not convert to the NFL. Having not played a single snap in the regular season, he was released after two seasons.
Even after all these years, the 49ers still have to live with this pick. Brady, a lifelong San Francisco supporter, can find little comfort in trading his future for a player who was never very good. Brady was the one injured on draft night, but his injuries were minor compared to the 49ers’ lasting remorse at not winning a Super Bowl in almost thirty years.