A former general manager of the Steelers discusses the Tom Brady draft: “We screwed it up, as did the rest of the NFL;

A number of executives, including former general manager Kevin Colbert of the Pittsburgh Steelers, passed on selecting quarterback Tom Brady more than once before Brady was selected by the New England Patriots with overall pick No. 199 in the 2000 NFL Draft.

It makes sense that Colbert regretted not being able to see who developed into the G.O.A.T. signal-caller during an interview with the “North Catholic Athletics Podcast”.

According to Colbert, “I always go back to my first year as a Steelers GM,” as revealed by Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora. One pick in the sixth round was Tom Brady. In the sixth round, we defeated Tee Martin. Tee Martin was a fantastic fifth-round selection, in my opinion. First, second, and third round picks are typically the ones who should start. Typically, rounds four and five are reserved for the backups. Six and seven are typically members of the practice squad.”

In total, Martin appeared in three regular-season games and made zero starts during his NFL career. Brady, meanwhile, accumulated seven Super Bowl rings and became a five-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. Perhaps more importantly as it pertains to the Steelers, TB12 beat Pittsburgh in AFC Championship Games on three occasions.

“When you look back, obviously, we chased Brady for however many years he was in New England,” Colbert added. “He was special. We and the rest of the NFL missed it. A lot of times people point out, you took Tee Martin. I say, ‘Yeah we did.’ And I loved Tee. Tee won a national championship at the University of Tennessee. And again, as a fifth-round pick, he was a really good fifth-round pick.” 

Colbert mentioned that even the Patriots didn’t know exactly what they had in Brady in the spring of 2000, because they otherwise “would’ve taken him with their first pick.” Of course, Pittsburgh later spent a 2004 first-round draft choice on a different type of quarterback named Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger’s face may never be found on a Mount Rushmore of the greatest players in NFL history, but he did guide the Steelers to a pair of Super Bowl titles during his Hall of Fame career.