Julian Edelman (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman is a lot of fun to watch and has had some great moments in his career, but a future Hall of Famer he is not.
Julian Edelman has had quite a career.
Once a quarterback at Kent State, Edelman didn’t hear his name called in the 2009 NFL Draft until the seventh round and it took a position change for him to get to that point. He went from playing the quarterback position to lining up as a wide receiver once he got to the pros.
The Patriots took a chance on Edelman and it’s definitely paid off, to say the least. No other team seems to have quite the success rate with late-round picks as the Patriots do and Edelman is yet again proof of that.
After four seasons of not doing much, the Kent State product exploded onto the scene in 2013, grabbing 105 catches for 1,056 yards and six touchdowns. That marked the beginning of Edelman’s run as one of the top receivers in the league, as he recorded two more seasons with over 1,000 yards receiving.
As good as Julian Edelman has been, especially in the playoffs, he is not Hall of Fame deserving.
The only reason this is even a conversation for Edelman is that he’s a member of the Patriots and has won three Super Bowls with them and was named MVP of Super Bowl 53.
Otherwise, Edelman isn’t anything special. He’s had some great seasons and performances, there’s no debating that, but so have a lot of other wide receivers in the league.
Furthermore, Edelman probably doesn’t become this type of player if Tom Brady isn’t his quarterback. In fact, he’s probably an afterthought if he lands with any other team, but this is another reason why the Patriots have been so good for so long – It’s their ability to find a diamond in the rough like Edelman and turn him into what he is now.
As good as Edelman has been with the Patriots, his overall numbers are nowhere near Hall of Fame worthy. He’s racked up 599 receptions for 6,507 yards and 36 touchdowns throughout his decade-long career now. Thirty-six touchdowns aren’t exactly eye-popping.
His playoff history is impressive, but when looking at Edelman’s overall resumé, he’s just another NFL receiver who had a nice few years in the league.
It’ll be interesting to see what Julian Edelman does in New England now that Brady is off to Tampa Bay. Will he continue to hang around in the “potential Hall of Fame” conversation or will this seal the deal of him not belonging in that category?