The New England Patriots have a way of finding gems in the NFL Draft. Tom Brady spoke for himself. He was a sixth-round pick and the rest was history. Two decades of pure dominance. Rob Gronkowski was a second-round pick for the franchise. Look what he became. Then, there’s Julian Edelman. He was a seventh-round pick out of Kent State who played quarterback while in college. He would end up transitioning to a punt returner and wide receiver after joining New England. Today, the Patriots announced that they were releasing the veteran wide receiver after a failed physical. Shortly after the release, Julian decided to call it a career and retire after 12 seasons in Foxboro.
Julian is the toughest slot receiver I’ve had the pleasure of watching. Ask any defensive back with the task of guarding him. They’d say he was a difficult matchup, and rightfully so. He had it all. The smarts, the route running, the toughness, and the connection he had with Brady tied in together made him a difficult assignment for any secondary. For years, I always said he was tough to bring down for a tackle. I always saw a guy who played the wide receiver position with the mentality of a running back. Anytime Brady needed that pass over the middle, number 11 was always there. On third downs, he always found that way to get open and the ball was in his hands. He was a chain mover. One thing Julian did consistently was sit in the zone. He always found that “sweet spot” in zone coverage.
He always had a knack for making big plays when it mattered most. I still think of the big catch he made in the Super Bowl against the Atlanta Falcons. His best performance in the big game came in Super Bowl 53 against the Rams when he was named Super Bowl MVP. Julian is one of the most productive postseason receivers in NFL history. He ranks second in postseason receptions with 118 and second in postseason receiving yards with 1,442. Those numbers are behind the greatest receiver ever to play and that’s Jerry Rice. Julian Edelman will be a Hall of Famer in a few years. He has three rings along with the postseason numbers. It’s been fun watching him play.
