Julian Edelman 2018 Playbook/Panini NFL Card - New England Patriots Wide Receiver

almost 2 years ago

The Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick have been known to find the most random players from schools and develop them into high level pros. Just total unknown prospect after total unknown prospect. At every position on the football field the Patriots seem to pull this off and it's a huge reason why the Patriots have been so good for so long. They know how to find diamonds in the rough.

Overall, wide receiver Julian Edelman might be the most diamond in the rough, total unknown prospect type of player the Patriots have ever drafted. Julian Edelman's stardom truly came out of nowhere. I doubt many people could have predicted he would become an elite wide receiver when he was drafted in the seventh round in 2009.

Edelman dealt with a huge obstacle right off the bat when he entered the league, learning an entirely new position. Edelman attended college at Kent State University where he was an exciting dual threat quarterback. It was kind of obvious it would have been tough for Edelman to be a QB in the NFL, but it was very clear he had high level athleticism and so OF COURSE he was on the Patriots' radar. Of course, Bill Belichick, the mad football genius, saw the potential in Edelman.

As an NFL fan but not a Pats fan, Edelman's arrival sort of happened completely out of nowhere. It was obvious right off the bat that Edelman was really solid. For me though, it definitely took a couple of years for Edelman to kind of really separate himself from the other great slot receivers that were on the Patriots' roster approximately and/or simultaneously as Edelman. Wes Welker and Danny Amendola for example. For a couple of years there I couldn't tell you the difference between the three. It was a blur of small, slot receivers for awhile in New England.

What made Edelman kind of special from those three slot receivers though, was his clutchness/playoff clutchness and his Super Bowl rings. Tom Brady and Edelman really seemed to have fantastic chemistry. I feel as though Edelman really took on Brady's personality in many ways.

Edelman spent his entire eleven year career in New England and is certainly a legend there. Frankly he is a legend in NFL history too.

When I think about it, Edelman is really a straight up american football legend too. He kind of had three distinct phases of his career. He was a fun dual threat quarterback before turning into a return specialist in New England for awhile. After developing and maturing he then became a full fledged go to receiver that was top notch at times. It's mindblowing to me he never made a pro bowl.