Tom Brady has seen quite a few quarterbacks come and go through Foxboro during his nearly two-decade stint with the Patriots.
From Matt Cassel to Brian Hoyer to Jimmy Garoppolo, several signal-callers longed for playing time in New England as a result of Brady’s maintained success. But one QB drafted a decade ago not only has seen consistent time on the field, but he’s also been a key member of multiple Super Bowl-winning teams.
The Patriots effectively took a flier on Julian Edelman when they drafted him in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. The pick certainly has paid off, as the former Kent State quarterback quickly went from a bottom-of-the-depth-chart wideout to one of Brady’s favorite targets. Edelman surely made the right call by switching over to WR, just ask the guy who’s helped him earn the billing as one of league’s most clutch pass catchers.
The Patriots drafted a QB in 2009:
◾️ @edelman11, Kent State (7th round)
Tom was far from threatened 😅 #edelman100
(via @shosports) pic.twitter.com/CJSZ2aAhhJ
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) June 27, 2019
To be fair, an Edelman pass helped Brady earn one of his six Super Bowl rings. The Super Bowl LIII MVP uncorked a game-tying, 51-yard touchdown toss to Danny Amendola in a 2015 divisional-round contest against the Baltimore Ravens, which erased the Patriots’ second two-touchdown deficit of the game. New England went on to beat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX thanks in part to a game-winning touchdown catch from Edelman, of course.
The Patriots rarely task Edelman with showing off his arm, but it’s safe to say No. 11 can let it fly when called upon.
