Washington State quarterback Luke Falk grew up with posters of his hero, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, adorning his walls.
At the NFL Scouting Combine in February, Falk discussed how “The Brady Six” helped him overcome adversity in high school.
“Well, in high school I had a little bit of adversity,” Falk said, via Eric Edholm. “Then ‘The Brady Six’ came on. And I was already a Tom Brady fan. But just learning about his history at Michigan and the adversity he faced with Drew Henson and how he went about each day and how he has taken that mindset into the NFL being a late-round draft pick. I mean, he is 40 years old and he still puts everything got into it. So, I really just want to do that with my game. If it is good enough for him, it is good enough for me.”
Well, on Saturday Falk’s dream came true as the Tennesee Titans drafted him with the No. 199 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Yes, the same pick the Patriots used on Brady 18 years ago.
“It’s a pretty crazy coincidence — (he’s) somebody I look up to,” Falk said, via ESPN. “We have the same similarities in terms of style of play. We’re not the most mobile guys. We can do stuff in the pocket, creating throws in a small space. (We’re) accurate, kind of have the same compact throwing motion. He’s the best to do it. Somebody to look up to that I’ve always tried to model my game after. It’s a huge coincidence, pick 199. I’m so grateful that Tennessee took a shot on me.”
Falk and Brady both are 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and the Wazzu product now will start his career much like Brady: fighting for a spot to backup a franchise signal caller with no clear shot to the top of the depth chart.
Of course, an injury to Drew Bledsoe opened the door for Brady, but it’s hard to see Falk getting a shot in Tennessee with Marcus Mariota expected to lead the team for the foreseeable future.
