Tom Brady draws parallels with Patrick Mahomes, says he "could never have reached the area of growth" he needed without a support system

Tom Brady is arguably the best player in NFL history. But even he had to start somewhere. In the latest episode of Colin Cowherd's show "The Herd," he outlined the qualities that help a QB develop.

He drew parallels between himself and Patrick Mahomes, pointing out that a lot of external factors came together for Mahomes that enabled him to become the great player he is today.

Brady pointed out that at Texas Tech, Mahomes had an NFL-caliber coach in Kliff Kingsbury. When he was drafted by the Chiefs, he got to watch Alex Smith, who, according to Tom Brady, was a "phenomenal player" and "great leader". And then, of course, there's Andy Reid.

"There's a reason why it all works and there's this development that happens, and why Patrick has been able to ascend so quickly," Brady said. "He would have found a way to ascend at some point anyway..."

Brady said that in a similar vein, he would not have reached the same level of growth as the Chiefs QB were it not for external factors that just fell into place.

"I could never have reached the area of growth that I needed to whether that was year one or three or five," Brady said. "It was accelerated, because of all the things that I had in place."

He elaborated by saying that when he was in college, he played a pro-style offense, and then the New England Patriots drafted him. He got to be Patriots great Drew Bledsoe's backup while having Bill Belichick as his head coach and mentor.

"I think when you're a young quarterback, ultimately, that's what you're trying to do. Be in a situation where you can learn, grow, and develop."

Tom Brady explains why DeAndre Hopkins was able to fit right in with the Chiefs

The seven-time Super Bowl champion also outlined how DeAndre Hopkins managed to spring into action in just his second game with the Chiefs.

Hopkins was traded by the Titans to the Chiefs last month for a 2025 conditional fifth-round pick.

He caught just two passes for 29 yards on his Chiefs debut but exploded in his second game, recording 86 yards and two touchdowns against the Buccaneers.

"There's such a learning curve that needs to happen from a rookie player, whereas when you get someone like DeAndre, you go, 'Hey, DeAndre, run a slant.' And it looks like a slant. It looks great. It's fluid, it's smooth."

Hopkins and Mahomes would hope to build on their connection going forward and help the team achieve its dream of a three-peat.