Drew Brees: 2001 Draft Day Picks

Drew Brees was born on January 15, 1979 in Austin, Texas. Although Brees is not the biggest or most athletic quarterback in the NFL, he is surely one of the best. Since his early days he has been forced to prove that hard work and determination can outshine things such as athleticism and size. And one thing is for sure; Brees has been doing this successfully for quite some time.

Brees played his high school ball in Austin, Texas at Westlake High School. During his senior season Brees led his team to a 5A Division II State Championship. They finished the season undefeated; the only time that the school has ever accomplished this feat.

Although he was recruited heavily out of high school, Brees decided to play his college ball at Purdue University. When everything was said and done he had set many records at both Purdue, as well as the Big Ten Conference. These records include most passing yards in a career with 11,792, completions with 1,026, and touchdowns with 90. And those are just the major records. Brees also won many awards during his time at Purdue, and led the team to several bowl games including the Rose Bowl in 2001.

In the 2001 NFL Draft Brees was not chosen until the 32nd overall pick by the San Diego Chargers. Teams were worried that he may be a bit small to play quarterback in the league as he is only 6 foot tall.

Brees did not have the chance to play much his rookie season, but this changed in year two. During this season he passed for more than 3,000 yards and 17 touchdowns. In 2003 his numbers fell off quite a bit, but ever since then they have been back on the rise. He posted his best season ever in 2006 with the New Orleans Saints. During this year Brees ended with 4,418 yards on 554 completions. This was in addition to 26 touchdowns with only 11 interceptions.