If there was such thing as a professional football team having a designated holiday, April 16 would be the biggest one for the New England Patriots.
Thursday marked the 68th birthday of current head coach and de facto general manager Bill Belichick. It’s also the 20-year anniversary future Hall-of-Famer, and now-former Patriots quarterback was selected in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.
It would take some serious digging, but you’d be hard-pressed to find another date that meant so much to the history and success of one NFL franchise.
- Follow the Heavy on Patriots Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors, and content!
This should be a day Patriots fans acknowledge forever as it produced the two men most responsible for the six Super Bowl championships, and the greatest sports dynasty of this century.
The 2020 Version Could Have Been Better
While nothing will ever take away all Belichick and Brady accomplished together over two decades, it feels weird to have the 20-year-anniversary of the QB being drafted happen a month after he left the team to sign a lucrative free-agent deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The images and social media response would probably have been a little more plentiful if Brady had re-signed with the Patriots. As it is, it seems most Patriots fans are ready to move on, and Brady has seemingly already turned the page.
Belichick’s Birthday Wishes
The Patriots’ Twitter account, members of the media, and others took to Twitter to wish Belichick a happy birthday.
Tom Brady’s Draft Revisited
Watching the discussion around Brady when he came out of Michigan is surreal considering he was the 199th pick in the draft. Below there is an ESPN breakdown from draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. and several social media posts commemorating what many consider to be the best draft pick in NFL history.
In case you’re wondering, here is a list of the players drafted ahead of Tom Brady in 2000. Pro-Bowlers are in beige and the lone Hall-of-Famer, Brian Urlacher is in gold.
1 | 1 | Cleveland Browns | Courtney Brown | DE | Penn State | Big Ten | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | Washington Redskins | LaVar Arrington | LB | Penn State | Big Ten | from New Orleans [R1 – 1] | |
1 | 3 | Washington Redskins | Chris Samuels | OT | Alabama | SEC | from San Francisco[R1 – 2] | |
1 | 4 | Cincinnati Bengals | Peter Warrick | WR | Florida State | ACC | ||
1 | 5 | Baltimore Ravens | Jamal Lewis | RB | Tennessee | SEC | from Atlanta[R1 – 3] | |
1 | 6 | Philadelphia Eagles | Corey Simon | DT | Florida State | ACC | ||
1 | 7 | Arizona Cardinals | Thomas Jones | RB | Virginia | ACC | ||
1 | 8 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Plaxico Burress | WR | Michigan State | Big Ten | ||
1 | 9 | Chicago Bears | Brian Urlacher | LB | New Mexico | MWC | ||
1 | 10 | Baltimore Ravens | Travis Taylor | WR | Florida | SEC | from Denver[R1 – 4] | |
1 | 11 | New York Giants | Ron Dayne | RB | Wisconsin | Big Ten | 1999 Heisman Trophy winner | |
1 | 12 | New York Jets | Shaun Ellis | DE | Tennessee | SEC | from Carolina via Washington via San Francisco [R1 – 5] | |
1 | 13 | New York Jets | John Abraham | DE | South Carolina | SEC | from San Diego via Tampa Bay[R1 – 6] | |
1 | 14 | Green Bay Packers | Bubba Franks | TE | Miami (FL) | Big East | ||
1 | 15 | Denver Broncos | Deltha O’Neal | CB | California | Pac-10 | from Baltimore [R1 – 7] | |
1 | 16 | San Francisco 49ers | Julian Peterson | LB | Michigan State | Big Ten | from New England via New York Jets | |
1 | 17 | Oakland Raiders | Sebastian Janikowski | K | Florida State | ACC | ||
1 | 18 | New York Jets | Chad Pennington | QB | Marshall | MAC | ||
1 | 19 | Seattle Seahawks | Shaun Alexander | RB | Alabama | SEC | from Dallas[R1 – 8] | |
1 | 20 | Detroit Lions | Stockar McDougle | OT | Oklahoma | Big 12 | ||
1 | 21 | Kansas City Chiefs | Sylvester Morris | WR | Jackson State | SWAC | ||
1 | 22 | Seattle Seahawks | Chris McIntosh | OT | Wisconsin | Big Ten | ||
1 | 23 | Carolina Panthers | Rashard Anderson | CB | Jackson State | SWAC | from Miami | |
1 | 24 | San Francisco 49ers | Ahmed Plummer | CB | Ohio State | Big Ten | from Washington | |
1 | 25 | Minnesota Vikings | Chris Hovan | DT | Boston College | Big East | ||
1 | 26 | Buffalo Bills | Erik Flowers | DE | Arizona State | Pac-10 | ||
1 | 27 | New York Jets | Anthony Becht | TE | West Virginia | Big East | from Tampa Bay | |
1 | 28 | Indianapolis Colts | Rob Morris | LB | BYU | MWC | ||
1 | 29 | Jacksonville Jaguars | R. Jay Soward | WR | USC | Pac-10 | ||
1 | 30 | Tennessee Titans | Keith Bulluck | LB | Syracuse | Big East | ||
1 | 31 | St. Louis Rams | Trung Canidate | RB | Arizona | Pac-10 | ||
2 | 32 | Cleveland Browns | Dennis Northcutt | WR | Arizona | Pac-10 | ||
2 | 33 | New Orleans Saints | Darren Howard | DE | Kansas State | Big 12 | ||
2 | 34 | Cincinnati Bengals | Mark Roman | S | LSU | SEC | ||
2 | 35 | San Francisco 49ers | John Engelberger | DE | Virginia Tech | Big East | ||
2 | 36 | Philadelphia Eagles | Todd Pinkston | WR | Southern Miss | C-USA | ||
2 | 37 | Atlanta Falcons | Travis Claridge | G | USC | Pac-10 | ||
2 | 38 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Marvel Smith | OT | Arizona State | Pac-10 | ||
2 | 39 | Chicago Bears | Mike Brown | SS | Nebraska | Big 12 | ||
2 | 40 | Denver Broncos | Ian Gold | LB | Michigan | Big Ten | ||
2 | 41 | Arizona Cardinals | Raynoch Thompson | LB | Tennessee | SEC | ||
2 | 42 | New York Giants | Cornelius Griffin | DT | Alabama | SEC | ||
2 | 43 | San Diego Chargers | Rogers Beckett | SS | Marshall | MAC | ||
2 | 44 | Green Bay Packers | Chad Clifton | OT | Tennessee | SEC | ||
2 | 45 | Denver Broncos | Kenoy Kennedy | SS | Arkansas | SEC | from Baltimore | |
2 | 46 | New England Patriots | Adrian Klemm | OT | Hawaii | WAC | ||
2 | 47 | Oakland Raiders | Jerry Porter | WR | West Virginia | Big East | ||
2 | 48 | San Francisco 49ers | Jason Webster | CB | Texas A&M | Big 12 | from New York Jets | |
2 | 49 | Dallas Cowboys | Dwayne Goodrich | CB | Tennessee | SEC | ||
2 | 50 | Detroit Lions | Barrett Green | LB | West Virginia | Big East | ||
2 | 51 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Cosey Coleman | G | Tennessee | SEC | from Carolina [R2 – 1] | |
2 | 52 | Seattle Seahawks | Ike Charlton | CB | Virginia Tech | Big East | ||
2 | 53 | Miami Dolphins | Todd Wade | OT | Ole Miss | SEC | ||
2 | 54 | Kansas City Chiefs | William Bartee | CB | Oklahoma | Big 12 | ||
2 | 55 | Minnesota Vikings | Fred Robbins | DT | Wake Forest | ACC | ||
2 | 56 | Minnesota Vikings | Michael Boireau | DE | Miami (FL) | Big East | from Washington | |
2 | 57 | Carolina Panthers | Deon Grant | FS | Tennessee | SEC | ||
2 | 58 | Buffalo Bills | Travares Tillman | FS | Georgia Tech | ACC | ||
2 | 59 | Indianapolis Colts | Marcus Washington | LB | Auburn | SEC | ||
2 | 60 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Brad Meester | C | Northern Iowa | Gateway | ||
2 | 61 | Philadelphia Eagles | Bobbie Williams | G | Arkansas | SEC | from Tennessee | |
2 | 62 | St. Louis Rams | Jacoby Shepherd | CB | Oklahoma State | Big 12 | ||
3 | 63 | Cleveland Browns | Travis Prentice | RB | Miami (OH) | MAC | ||
3 | 64 | Washington Redskins | Lloyd Harrison | CB | North Carolina State | ACC | from New Orleans | |
3 | 65 | San Francisco 49ers | Giovanni Carmazzi | QB | Hofstra | Ind. (I-AA) | ||
3 | 66 | Cincinnati Bengals | Ron Dugans | WR | Florida State | ACC | ||
3 | 67 | Atlanta Falcons | Mark Simoneau | LB | Kansas State | Big 12 | ||
3 | 68 | Tennessee Titans | Erron Kinney | TE | Florida | SEC | from Philadelphia | |
3 | 69 | Chicago Bears | Dez White | WR | Georgia Tech | ACC | ||
3 | 70 | Denver Broncos | Chris Cole | WR | Texas A&M | Big 12 | ||
3 | 71 | Arizona Cardinals | Darwin Walker | DT | Tennessee | SEC | ||
3 | 72 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Kendrick Clancy | DT | Mississippi | SEC | ||
3 | 73 | New York Giants | Ron Dixon | WR | Lambuth | Mid South | ||
3 | 74 | Green Bay Packers | Steve Warren | DT | Nebraska | Big 12 | ||
3 | 75 | Baltimore Ravens | Chris Redman | QB | Louisville | C-USA | ||
3 | 76 | New England Patriots | J.R. Redmond | RB | Arizona State | Pac-10 | ||
3 | 77 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Hank Poteat | CB | Pittsburgh | Big East | from Oakland | |
3 | 78 | New York Jets | Laveranues Coles | WR | Florida State | ACC | ||
3 | 79 | Cleveland Browns | JaJuan Dawson | WR | Tulane | C-USA | ||
3 | 80 | Seattle Seahawks | Darrell Jackson | WR | Florida | SEC | from Dallas | |
3 | 81 | Detroit Lions | Reuben Droughns | RB | Oregon | Pac-10 | ||
3 | 82 | Carolina Panthers | Leander Jordan | OT | Indiana University of Pennsylvania | PSAC | ||
3 | 83 | San Diego Chargers | Damion McIntosh | OT | Kansas State | Big 12 | ||
3 | 84 | Miami Dolphins | Ben Kelly | CB | Colorado | Big 12 | ||
3 | 85 | Kansas City Chiefs | Greg Wesley | FS | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | SWAC | ||
3 | 86 | San Francisco 49ers | Jeff Ulbrich | LB | Hawaii | WAC | from Seattle | |
3 | 87 | Chicago Bears | Dustin Lyman | TE | Wake Forest | ACC | from Washington | |
3 | 88 | Minnesota Vikings | Doug Chapman | RB | Marshall | MAC | ||
3 | 89 | Buffalo Bills | Corey Moore | LB | Virginia Tech | Big East | ||
3 | 90 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Nate Webster | LB | Miami (FL) | Big East | ||
3 | 91 | Indianapolis Colts | David Macklin | CB | Penn State | Big Ten | ||
3 | 92 | Jacksonville Jaguars | T.J. Slaughter | LB | Southern Mississippi | C-USA | ||
3 | 93 | Tennessee Titans | Byron Frisch | DE | BYU | MWC | ||
3 | 94 | St. Louis Rams | John St. Clair | OT | Virginia | ACC | ||
4 | 95 | Cleveland Browns | Lewis Sanders | CB | Maryland | ACC | ||
4 | 96 | New Orleans Saints | Terrelle Smith | FB | Arizona State | Pac-10 | ||
4 | 97 | Cincinnati Bengals | Curtis Keaton | RB | James Madison | A-10 | ||
4 | 98 | Green Bay Packers | Na’il Diggs | LB | Ohio State | Big Ten | from San Francisco | |
4 | 99 | Philadelphia Eagles | Gari Scott | WR | Michigan State | Big Ten | ||
4 | 100 | Atlanta Falcons | Michael Thompson | OT | Tennessee State | OVC | ||
4 | 101 | Denver Broncos | Jerry Johnson | DT | Florida State | ACC | ||
4 | 102 | Arizona Cardinals | David Barrett | CB | Arkansas | SEC | ||
4 | 103 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Danny Farmer | WR | UCLA | Pac-10 | ||
4 | 104 | St. Louis Rams | Kaulana Noa | G | Hawaii | WAC | from Chicago | |
4 | 105 | New York Giants | Brandon Short | LB | Penn State | Big Ten | ||
4 | 106 | Minnesota Vikings | Antonio Wilson | LB | Texas A&M-Commerce | Lone Star | from Baltimore | |
4 | 107 | Oakland Raiders | Junior Ioane | DE | Arizona State | Pac-10 | ||
4 | 108 | San Francisco 49ers | John Keith | S | Furman | SoCon | from Green Bay | |
4 | 109 | Dallas Cowboys | Kareem Larrimore | CB | West Texas A&M | Lone Star | ||
4^ | 110 | Cleveland Browns | Aaron Shea | TE | Michigan | Big Ten | ||
4 | 111 | San Diego Chargers | Trevor Gaylor | WR | Miami (OH) | MAC | from Philadelphia | |
4 | 112 | Denver Broncos | Cooper Carlisle | G | Florida | SEC | from Carolina | |
4 | 113 | San Diego Chargers | Leonardo Carson | DT | Auburn | SEC | from Detroit via Philadelphia | |
4 | 114 | Green Bay Packers | Anthony Lucas | WR | Arkansas | SEC | ||
4 | 115 | Kansas City Chiefs | Frank Moreau | RB | Louisville | C-USA | ||
4 | 116 | Seattle Seahawks | Marcus Bell | LB | Arizona | Pac-10 | ||
4 | 117 | Miami Dolphins | Deon Dyer | FB | North Carolina | ACC | ||
4 | 118 | Minnesota Vikings | Tyrone Carter | S | Minnesota | Big Ten | ||
4 | 119 | Seattle Seahawks | Isaiah Kacyvenski | LB | Harvard | Ivy | from San Francisco | |
4 | 120 | Carolina Panthers | Alvin McKinley | DE | Mississippi State | SEC | from Tampa Bay | |
4 | 121 | Buffalo Bills | Avion Black | WR | Tennessee State | OVC | ||
4 | 122 | Indianapolis Colts | Josh Williams | DT | Michigan | Big Ten | ||
4 | 123 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Joey Chustz | OT | Louisiana Tech | Ind. (I-A) | ||
4 | 124 | Tennessee Titans | Bobby Myers | S | Wisconsin | Big Ten | ||
4 | 125 | Chicago Bears | Reggie Austin | CB | Wake Forest | ACC | from St. Louis | |
4* | 126 | Green Bay Packers | Gary Berry | S | Ohio State | Big Ten | ||
4* | 127 | New England Patriots | Greg Randall | OT | Michigan State | Big Ten | ||
4* | 128 | Tennessee Titans | Peter Sirmon | LB | Oregon | Pac-10 | ||
4* | 129 | Washington Redskins | Michael Moore | G | Troy | Southland | ||
5 | 130 | Cleveland Browns | Anthony Malbrough | CB | Texas Tech | Big 12 | ||
5 | 131 | New Orleans Saints | Tutan Reyes | G | Mississippi | SEC | ||
5 | 132 | San Francisco 49ers | Paul Smith | DE | Texas-El Paso | WAC | from St. Louis | |
5 | 133 | Cincinnati Bengals | Robert Bean | CB | Mississippi State | SEC | ||
5 | 134 | Atlanta Falcons | Anthony Midget | CB | Virginia Tech | Big East | ||
5 | 135 | Tennessee Titans | Aric Morris | S | Michigan State | Big Ten | from Philadelphia | |
5 | 136 | Arizona Cardinals | Mao Tosi | DT | Idaho | Big West | ||
5 | 137 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Clark Haggans | LB | Colorado State | MWC | ||
5 | 138 | Indianapolis Colts | Matt Johnson | C | BYU | MWC | from New Orleans | |
5 | 139 | St. Louis Rams | Brian Young | DT | Texas-El Paso | WAC | from Denver | |
5 | 140 | New York Giants | Ralph Brown | CB | Nebraska | Big 12 | ||
5 | 141 | New England Patriots | Dave Stachelski | TE | Boise State | Big West | ||
5 | 142 | Oakland Raiders | Shane Lechler | P | Texas A&M | Big 12 | ||
5 | 143 | New York Jets | Windrell Hayes | WR | USC | Pac-10 | ||
5 | 144 | Dallas Cowboys | Michael Wiley | RB | Ohio State | Big Ten | ||
5 | 145 | Detroit Lions | Todd Franz | S | Tulsa | WAC | ||
5^ | 146 | Cleveland Browns | Lamar Chapman | CB | Kansas State | Big 12 | ||
5 | 147 | Carolina Panthers | Gillis Wilson | DE | Southern | SWAC | ||
5 | 148 | Baltimore Ravens | Richard Mercier | G | Miami (FL) | Big East | from San Diego | |
5 | 149 | Green Bay Packers | Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila | DE | San Diego State | MWC | ||
5 | 150 | San Francisco 49ers | John Milem | DE | Lenoir-Rhyne | SAC | from St. Louis via Chicago | |
5 | 151 | Green Bay Packers | Joey Jamison | WR | Texas Southern | SWAC | from Seattle | |
5 | 152 | Miami Dolphins | Arturo Freeman | S | South Carolina | SEC | ||
5 | 153 | Kansas City Chiefs | Dante Hall | WR | Texas A&M | Big 12 | ||
5 | 154 | Denver Broncos | Muneer Moore | WR | Richmond | A-10 | from San Francisco via Seattle | |
5 | 155 | Washington Redskins | Quincy Sanders | S | UNLV | MWC | from Minnesota | |
5 | 156 | Buffalo Bills | Sammy Morris | FB | Texas Tech | Big 12 | ||
5 | 157 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | James Whalen | TE | Kentucky | SEC | ||
5 | 158 | New Orleans Saints | Austin Wheatley | TE | Iowa | Big Ten | from Indianapolis | |
5 | 159 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Kiwaukee Thomas | CB | Georgia Southern | SoCon | ||
5 | 160 | Tennessee Titans | Frank Chamberlin | LB | Boston College | Big East | ||
5 | 161 | New England Patriots | Jeff Marriott | G | Missouri | Big 12 | from St. Louis | |
5* | 162 | Kansas City Chiefs | Pat Dennis | CB | Louisiana-Monroe | Ind. (I-A) | ||
5* | 163 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Tee Martin | QB | Tennessee | SEC | ||
5* | 164 | Arizona Cardinals | Jay Tant | TE | Northwestern | Big Ten | ||
5* | 165 | Minnesota Vikings | Troy Walters | WR | Stanford | Pac-10 | ||
5* | 166 | New Orleans Saints | Chad Morton | KR | USC | Pac-10 | ||
6 | 167 | Miami Dolphins | Ernest Grant | DT | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | SWAC | from Cleveland | |
6 | 168 | New Orleans Saints | Marc Bulger | QB | West Virginia | Big East | ||
6 | 169 | Cincinnati Bengals | Neil Rackers | K | Illinois | Big Ten | ||
6 | 170 | Chicago Bears | Frank Murphy | WR | Kansas State | Big 12 | ||
6 | 171 | Philadelphia Eagles | Thomas Hamner | RB | Minnesota | Big Ten | ||
6 | 172 | Atlanta Falcons | Mareno Philyaw | WR | Troy | Southland | ||
6 | 173 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Chris Combs | DE | Duke | ACC | ||
6 | 174 | Chicago Bears | Paul Edinger | K | Michigan State | Big Ten | ||
6 | 175 | Seattle Seahawks | James Williams | WR | Marshall | MAC | from Denver | |
6 | 176 | Arizona Cardinals | Jabari Issa | DE | Washington | Pac-10 | ||
6 | 177 | New York Giants | Dhani Jones | LB | Michigan | Big Ten | ||
6 | 178 | Philadelphia Eagles | John Frank | DE | Utah | MWC | from Oakland | |
6 | 179 | New York Jets | Tony Scott | DB | North Carolina State | ACC | ||
6 | 180 | Dallas Cowboys | Mario Edwards | CB | Florida State | ACC | ||
6 | 181 | Detroit Lions | Quinton Reese | DE | Auburn | SEC | ||
6 | 182 | Carolina Panthers | Jeno James | G | Auburn | SEC | ||
6^ | 183 | Cleveland Browns | Spergon Wynn | QB | Southwest Texas State | Southland | ||
6 | 184 | San Diego Chargers | Shannon Taylor | LB | Virginia | ACC | ||
6 | 185 | Seattle Seahawks | Tim Watson | DT | Rowan | NJAC | from Green Bay | |
6 | 186 | Baltimore Ravens | Adalius Thomas | LB | Southern Mississippi | C-USA | ||
6 | 187 | New England Patriots | Antwan Harris | SS | Virginia | ACC | ||
6 | 188 | Kansas City Chiefs | Darnell Alford | G | Boston College | Big East | from Miami | |
6 | 189 | Denver Broncos | Mike Anderson | RB | Utah | MWC | from St. Louis | |
6 | 190 | Seattle Seahawks | John Hilliard | DT | Mississippi State | SEC | ||
6 | 191 | Baltimore Ravens | Cedric Woodard | DT | Texas | Big 12 | from Minnesota | |
6 | 192 | Philadelphia Eagles | John Romero | C | California | Pac-10 | from Washington | |
6 | 193 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | David Gibson | S | USC | Pac-10 | ||
6 | 194 | Buffalo Bills | Leif Olve Dolonen Larsen | DE | Texas-El Paso | WAC | ||
6 | 195 | New Orleans Saints | Michael Hawthorne | S | Purdue | Big Ten | from Indianapolis | |
6 | 196 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Emanuel Smith | WR | Arkansas | SEC | ||
6 | 197 | Tennessee Titans | Robaire Smith | DT | Michigan State | Big Ten | ||
6 | 198 | St. Louis Rams | Matt Bowen | SS | Iowa | Big Ten |
Also Read:
Patriots 2020 Draft: There Are Likely 5 QBs on Team’s Radar, Per Insider
Versatile Defensive Lineman Pegged for Patriots No. 23 Pick, Per Draft Expert
Patriots Draft 2020 Targets: Underrated RB/WR Could Replace James White
Comments
New England Patriots Day: Why April 16 Will Always Be Special in Team History