Just how good was Tom Brady in his rookie year?

Former New England Patriots and the current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is considered the greatest football player of all time.

He holds many records, including most all-time passing yards, completions, touchdowns, wins, and has the most passes completed in a single season with 485 in 2021. On top of all this, he has an NFL record of seven Super-Bowl victories and 10 appearances.

He won six with the New England Patriots in a 20-year run while winning his seventh with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.

While he's had an amazing NFL career with many accomplishments, it hasn't come easy for the college quarterback out of Michigan. Brady was drafted in the sixth-round of the of the 2000 NFL draft when he was taken with pick number 199 overall.

Tom Brady's rookie year stats

Tom Brady in action for the Patriots

In four seasons at the University of Michigan, Tom Brady threw for 4,773 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. He wasn't one of the top quarterbacks coming out of the 2000 NFL draft and was expected to go in the later rounds.

The Patriots took a flier on Brady and selected him in the sixth round. The team drafted him with the expectation of being a quality backup in the league. He was the back-up to Drew Bledsoe and didn't expect to step on the field in his first year in the league.

During his rookie season, he played in just one game and was 1-for-3 passing for six yards.

Tom Brady's season where he took over as starting quarterback for New England Patriots

Super Bowl LI - New England Patriots v Atlanta Falcons

Brady took over as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots during the 2001 season. Starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe suffered a hit from New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis in Week 2 and suffered internal bleeding.

Tom Brady started the following week and led the Patriots to a 44-13 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. The future legend started the rest of the season and the Patriots went on to win 11 out of the 14 games Brady started, and six straight to finish the regular season, while winning the AFC East division.

He finished the season throwing for 2,843 yards and 18 touchdowns, and earned an invitation to the Pro Bowl.

He would lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl triumph where they defeated the St. Louis Rams, which jumpstarted his career.