DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. _ Julian Edelman never let his smaller stature deter him from competing at the highest level.
As a kid growing up, Edelman heard the criticism about his size. He would hear those same doubts while playing quarterback at Kent State and he would hear it as a wide receiver with the New England Patriots.
"As a kid, obviously you heard it a lot," Edelman said Sunday before stepping into his duties as honorary starter at the Daytona 500. "But it always motivated me as a kid.
"I was always a smaller kid and I had an older brother that I used to battle with him; he was seven years older, so I was never scared of anyone because I used to get my tail whopped by him all day."
Edelman loved competition whether football, baseball or basketball, he relished in the opportunity to perform.
"That love of competition always allowed me to block out noise that I didn't need to worry about," he said.
"Sometimes you have episodes as a child or when you're younger in the league and you're thinking about things and you always can reel it back to just worry about what you can control or go out and work on things that you know you can work on that will make you better."
Edelman is a three-time Super Bowl winner, including most recently earning MVP honors after leading the Patriots to a 13-3 win over Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII.
"It's still pretty surreal," Edelman said of the past couple of weeks since the win. "Thinking this is my third Super Bowl win and the team's sixth and then becoming the most valuable player was pretty crazy.
"I honestly haven't sat down and let everything unwind."
Edelman, who was taken by the Pats in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft, faced a challenging transition from college quarterback to wide receiver.
"It was definitely very difficult just because I never played the position," he said. "I didn't know the key fundamentals that guys learned at a younger age."
But he's also quick to admit that his time at quarterback proved to be beneficial, helping him develop into one of the top go-to receivers in the NFL.
"Knowing little intricate details of what quarterbacks like; flat-to-downhill, protecting the throw, angles, spots and zones, all those types of things helped me because I knew those as a quarterback," Edelman said.
"It was definitely difficult mentally, physically and emotionally for me because of the ups and downs of trying to make a team when you're a younger guy and transitioning to a new position on a team that is very competitive."
Once again, Edelman has proved doubters wrong. He's accounted for more than 5,300 yards and 30 total touchdowns during a career that's spanned a decade.
He credits his success to the offseason preparation he goes through with teammates, including Tom Brady.
"You're earning each other's trust each day," Edelman said. "I want to see him do it, he wants to see me do it. That's when you give yourself the best opportunity to go perform at a high level under pressure. I think the years of working together have definitely helped. We know each other always. It's a constant battle in practice."
