There's a new Tom Brady in the NFL, and he was born just before Brady was drafted. And no, it's not Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, or Lamar Jackson.

To find this mystery man, we need to rewind all the way back to 1999, when Tom Brady was a senior at Michigan. After getting buried on the depth chart his first two college seasons, Brady finally started a full year in his junior season.

But Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr still wasn't sold on Brady. To start Brady's senior season, Carr had Brady switch off quarters with Drew Henson in the first half of each game. And the only way Brady could play again was if he outplayed Henson during those 15 minutes of action.

It wouldn't be until a game against Michigan State that Brady finally sealed the starting job for good. From there, Brady took off, eventually leading Michigan over Alabama in the 2000 Orange Bowl.

But just five days before that bowl game, our mystery QB was born in Arizona.

Just a few months later, in the 2000 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected Tom Brady in the 6th round with the 199th pick. But he wasn't expected to see any playing time. Brady started as the 4th string QB on a team that already had Drew Bledsoe – one of the best quarterbacks in football at the time.

But when Bledsoe suffered a season-ending injury early in the 2001 season, everything changed.

The Patriots finally gave Brady an opportunity. And what followed was an all-time career that featured 10 Super Bowl appearances, seven championships, and three MVPs.

But as Brady was winning bowl games and Super Bowl titles, the “next Tom Brady” was starting to make a name for himself.

When Brady won his 4th Super Bowl, this man made his high school football debut for Perry High in Arizona. When Brady was gearing up for this 6th Super Bowl, this man was a third string quarterback at Iowa State. And in 2021, when Brady won his 7th Super Bowl, this man led the entire Big 12 in completion percentage and passing yards. In fact, he would lead the Big 12 in passing yards twice and ended his college career holding 32 school records at Iowa State.

But not many NFL teams wanted him. Just like Brady. Our mystery QB was taken very late in the draft and buried deep in the depth chart. Just like Brady. And it was injuries to the QB's in front of him that finally gave him a chance, just like Brady.

A Star is Born akin to Tom Brady

This mystery man, of course, is the 2022 NFL Draft's Mr Irrelevant: Brock Purdy, QB for the San Francisco 49ers.

Now, let's get one thing very clear: we're not saying that he's the next Brady in terms of skill level or what his career will turn out to be. It's unfair to place that level of expectation on any young quarterback. We're not talking about his future at all.

We're talking about the past. And we are saying that both of their stories and their paths to becoming starting NFL QBs are incredibly similar.

Both started, initially, deep down on their college's QB depth chart. In the NFL Draft, Brady was drafted extremely late. But Purdy actually went 63 picks later, as the 262nd pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Once in the NFL, both were buried in their team's depth charts – playing behind good QB's who were winning games before going down with season-ending injuries. For Brady, it was Bledsoe. For Purdy, it was both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo in the 2022 season.

And in their first career starts, both Brady and Purdy stepped up and led their teams to blowout victories. In the '01 season, Brady and the Patriots decimated Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, 44-13. Not to be outdone, Purdy also took down a legendary QB in his first NFL start:

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Spencer See ·

Tom Brady, himself.

In the 49ers game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in December 2022, Purdy was on fire. He outplayed Brady as the Niners blew out the Bucs 35-7.

With the victory, Purdy earned the distinction of becoming the first QB ever to beat Tom Brady in his first career NFL start. In the same game, Purdy also became the first ever “Mr. Irrelevant” to throw a touchdown pass in a regular season.

Again, naming Purdy as “the next Brady” isn't a statement on the rest of Purdy's career. And there'll be a time and place to talk about his future in the league.

But in strictly examining the start of his NFL career and how he's gotten to where he's at, Purdy is the new Brady in that his journey has followed the Tom Brady blueprint very closely.

And the lesson from both is clear: if your number is called, you need to make the most of it – whether you're a first-rounder or a sixth-rounder like Brady.

Or even if everyone calls you irrelevant.