Brady had a lot of question marks as well. Though I am not sold on Webb, I do believe he has as much potential as Brady had coming out of the draft. None expected Brady to be a Hall of Famer let alone a starter. And apparently most fans do not expect Webb to be a top tier quarterback. Below are some draft evaluation commentary on Tom Brady in NFL 2000 Draft.
Tom Brady is a pocket passer who will compete for a practice squad spot with the Patriots . . . Drafted as a catcher by the Montreal Expos in 1995 out of Serra (San Mateo, Calif.) HS . . . Completed 62.8 percent of his passes with 20 TDs and six interceptions. Only Elvis Grbac had more TD tosses in a season for the Wolverines . . . Throws a great slant . . . At almost 6-4, 214 pounds, has some mobility . . . Platooned with sophomore Drew Henson . . . Was projected to go in the third round, but dropped quickly.
Notes: Baseball catcher and football quarterback in high school who was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 18th round of the June 1995 baseball draft. Opted for football and redshirted at Michigan in '95. Saw limited action in '96 and '97 and started the past two years. Completed 3 of 5 passes for 26 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in '96, 12-15-103-0-0 in '97, 214-350-2,636-15-12 in '98 and 180-295-2,216-16-6 in '99, when he often shared time with super sophomore Drew Henson. Went all the way against Alabama in the Orange Bowl and completed 34-46-369-4. Unlike many Michigan quarterbacks, Brady is a pocket-type passer who plays best in a dropback-type system.
Tom Brady Positives: Good height to see the field. Very poised and composed. Smart and alert. Can read coverages. Good accuracy and touch. Produces in big spots and in big games. Has some Brian Griese in him and is a gamer. Generally plays within himself. Team leader.
Negatives: Poor build. Very skinny and narrow. Ended the '99 season weighing 195 pounds and still looks like a rail at 211. Looks a little frail and lacks great physical stature and strength. Can get pushed down more easily than you'd like. Lacks mobility and ability to avoid the rush. Lacks a really strong arm. Can't drive the ball down the field and does not throw a really tight spiral. System-type player who can get exposed if he must ad-lib and do things on his own.
Summary: Is not what you're looking for in terms of physical stature, strength, arm strength and mobility, but he has the intangibles and production and showed great Griese-like improvement as a senior. Could make it in the right system but will not be for everyone.
Tom Brady had good statistics while in college, but he didn't have many accolades. He wasn't an All American. He didn't win the Heisman Trophy or Davey O'Brien Award. He wasn't all conference first or second team. Tom Brady was All Big Ten Conference Honorable Mention. That's it. During Brady's senior season, Drew Brees was widely recognized as the top QB in the Big Ten Conference. Antwaan Randle El also gained attention for being the most athletic QB in the conference. Brady was simply overlooked. Consequently, there just wasn't much hype surrounding him.
The noteworthy things he showed in college were - winning big games, the ability to rally his team, and playing against top tier competition. His physical skills, in total and in a vacuum, were about average plus.
To me, his is the classic late bloomer in the best possible environment for him to succeed - an environment that rewards discipline, hard coaching, and complete devotion to the team.
Essentially, he is a complete outlier.
I don't believe they will make a decision at 2 based on Webb...unless they are very seriously (secretly) head over heals about him
ive said this on numerous occasions and everyone just makes fun of me and says "yeah, you predicted brady would be great, ok."
The reality is, as a yankees fan, i watched a lot of Michigan bc he was splitting time with Drew Henson. Henson was not nearly as good as Brady and they talked about him like the greatest 2 sport athlete since bo jackson (and a potential 1st round pick). So i didn't understand how the QB who was better than him was just an afterthought. I didn't think he'd be who he became, but i always thought he got a raw deal from Michigan and that he was one of the better QBs that i saw in college during that time.
Beckham was a 1st round pick. You can fault Reese all you want but he had a very high success rate in the first round.
I think going to a place holder that won't ever win a SB is just as bad as having no replacement at all. Sure he might put up solid stats and get you to 8-8 or 9-7 but then you are stuck as a mediocre team.
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Webb is considered a steal in the third round and Cousins was considered a steal in the fourth round. Cousins isn’t the greatest but to go from Eli to a cousins-Esque place holder replacement isn’t the worst.
I think going to a place holder that won't ever win a SB is just as bad as having no replacement at all. Sure he might put up solid stats and get you to 8-8 or 9-7 but then you are stuck as a mediocre team.
I think Cousins can win with competent owners and coaches. If he plays with a lead thanks to the Vikings stout D, he can win. IMO. And if Webb is considered a better prospect coming out then that’s even better if he can develop.
Should we get him ready for the hall of fame now? Should book hotel rooms in Canton for Webb's ceremony now, going to be sold out once he throws that first practice pass against actual NFL players and not guys who are going to be packing grocerys next season!
Quoting Jeff, “I could have been in a situation with a (starting) quarterback who has four or five years of starting experience. I don't just expect to walk in and take the job. There's a lot of learning to do, and I expect to be doing that over the next year or two. You're stepping up to another level.”
Yeah, it took quite a few years more than one or two years didn’t it.
Hostetler had to wait his turn and watch a veteran (Phil Simms) lead the team to a title in 1987. Hostetler sat for five seasons and was thinking of retiring when Simms went down with an injury late in 1990. Hostetler led the Giants to four straight wins to reach the Super Bowl, where they beat the Bills.
I saw a quote from a physician who gave physicals at the Combine Brady attended. He said Brady had the worst body of any prospect he had evaluated in the 10+ years he had been doing it. That is why it is hard to use Brady's combine as a success predictor for other prospects. Brady completely remade his body.