INDIANAPOLIS — Many were scratching their heads when the New England Patriots, of all teams, selected Jacoby Brissett in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
While Tom Brady was, of course, well-established as their starter, the Patriots had been grooming the talented Jimmy Garoppolo to be their quarterback of the future, as well as someone who could step onto the field and competently run the offense should anything ever happen to Brady.
So while Brissett had displayed obvious NFL talent in two seasons as the starter at North Carolina State, as well as in the NFL Scouting Combine earlier that year, many outsiders wondered why the Patriots would take on yet another young player at the quarterback position.