Tom Brady was the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. The New England Patriots selected him in the sixth round, long after most teams had passed on the future Hall of Fame quarterback.
Brady entered the draft after playing college football at the University of Michigan. He had not been viewed as a premier prospect: concerns included his average athletic testing, limited starting experience early in college, and questions about whether his skills would translate to the NFL. New England took him with the 199th overall selection.
The pick became one of the greatest draft bargains in professional sports. Brady eventually became the Patriots’ starter, won six Super Bowls with New England, and later won another with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His unexpected success helped make “199th overall” a defining part of his legacy.
Readers sometimes confuse his draft position with the round. Brady was not the 199th pick of the first round; he was the 199th player selected overall, in the sixth round.