Tom Brady may have retired last year, but his legacy remains: with seven Super Bowl rings, he’s the most successful player in NFL history. That explains why many are wondering how different was his path to the league compared to that of Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy, who are playing in Super Bowl LVIII today.
Brady has one of the most interesting stories in football history, having been selected by the New England Patriots with the 199th pick in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.
Mahomes, who is looking to get close to Brady’s seven championships, has been selected by the Chiefs with the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Unlike Brady, Mahomes’ team saw him as the future starter from the get-go.
Purdy, on the other hand, has a story that resembles more to that of Brady. Only that he was drafted with an even lower pick than Tom. In fact, the Iowa State product was the 262nd and final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, which is why he was dubbed ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ of his draft class.
Patrick Mahomes (left) and Brock Purdy.
Mahomes chases Brady’s record, Purdy wants to emulate underdog path
Back in the day, no one expected Brady to win the starting job in Foxborough, let alone to lead the franchise to six Super Bowl victories. But Brady defied the odds and went on to win multiple championships, including one ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Now, Mahomes is hoping to get close to his record of Super Bowl rings. If he wins with the Chiefs in Las Vegas, the Texas Tech product would put himself four rings shy of Tom.
Purdy, on the other hand, aims to get his hands on the Vince Lombardi for the first time to make his underdog story even better. After all, Brady has proven that nothing is impossible.
