It’s amazing how one player can make a difference in a team’s draft going boom or bust. Tom Brady is still playing long after his fellow 2000 New England Patriots’ draftees are gone from the gridiron. How did the other players fare in the NFL and where are they? New England did not have a first-round pick in the draft that year.
2 Adrian Klemm, OL, Hawaii
Adrian Klemm made 10 starts in four seasons for New England. He finished his career with the Green Bay Packers in 2005. He has been an assistant coach at the college level for SMU and UCLA. In February, Klemm was added to the Pittsburgh Steelers’staff as an assistant offensive line coach.
3 J.R. Redmond, RB, Arizona State
J.R. Redmond spent three seasons with New England before moving on to the Raiders for two years. He rushed for 527 yards as a Patriot, 406 coming in his rookie campaign. Redmond made two key contributions during the playoff run after the 2001 regular season. He caught three passes in overtime to help set up the winning field goal when the Patriots defeated the Oakland Raiders, 16-13, in the “Snow Bowl.’’ Then, he had three more receptions on the final drive that helped set up Adam Vinatieri’s decisive field goal in a 20-17 Super Bowl victory over the Rams. He has struggled with mental health issues following his NFL career. A Boston Globe article in 2018 said, “Doctors have diagnosed Redmond with numerous conditions, he said, including major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and post-concussive syndrome. He said tests indicate he is “in a perpetual state of hypervigilance.’’ Snapping his fingers, Redmond said, “It takes me that long to go from zero to 100 [emotionally]. I feel it three or four times a day. It’s like a close call with death.’’
4 Greg Robinson-Randall, OT, Michigan State
Greg Robinson-Randall played three seasons in New England. He made 23 of his 39 career starts as a Patriot. His final season was 2003 with the Houston Texans. He started all 16 games for Houston. He went on to play in the CFL and Arena League.
5 Dave Stachelski, TE, Boise State
Dave Stachelski did not find a place on the Patriots’ roster. He wound up as a New Orleans Saint for 2000-01 and made one catch for five yards. Former Patriots personnel boss Scott Pioli used to keep a framed picture of Stachelski on Pioli’s desk as a reminder that he wasn’t some draft genius.
5 Jeff Marriott, DE, Missouri
Jeff Marriott was the second fifth-round pick for New England in 2000 and like Dave Stachelski, he did not make the team. Marriott’s biggest connection could have been introducing his roommate Barry Odom to the woman who became the current Missouri head coach’s wife.
6 Antwan Harris, CB, Virginia
Antwan Harris was a Patriot for four seasons and came away with three Super Bowl rings.The reserve CB told WRAL in 2018 he was so excited during his first Super Bowl he cried on the field. Previously, Harris took a lateral from Troy Brown after a blocked field goal and ran it 49 yards for a TD in the 2001 AFC Championship. In Super Bowl XXXVI, Harris forced a fumble by Rams receiver Ricky Proehl, which was recovered by teammate Terrell Buckley and set up a pass from Tom Brady to David Patten that upped the Patriots’ lead to 14-3.
6 David Nugent, DL, Purdue
David Nugent (No. 92) made one start while appearing in 15 games for the Pats in two years. He then played a season for the Baltimore Ravens. He has moved into the business world, at one point helping Houston High School, his alma mater, to help raise funds to build a stadium. Yahoo! reported in January that Nugent works for a surgical robotic company called TransEnterix in Memphis. “I’ll be at the gym on the treadmill. I’ll watch some highlights of a game, or see an interview that he’s in, and just think, ‘We used to watch those highlights together in our living room at night; or play Tecmo Bowl together; and just be kids,” Nugent told Yahoo! It’s so neat to see that he’s still living that dream. He’s always loved this game, and he’s still doing it.”
6, Casey Tisdale, LB, New Mexico
Casey Tisdale shows up with no stats for the Patriots ot the NFL. As a Lobo, he was a two-year letterman and starter at linebacker as a senior after playing defensive end in 1998. He is the co-founder and vice president of Provider Networks in Austin, Tx.
7 Patrick Pass, RB, Georgia
Patrick Pass played seven of his eight seasons for New England. His NFL career concluded with a stop as a New York Giant. Pass was a blocking fullback and rushed for 526 yards and three touchdowns, all the scores coming in the 2005 season. Pass went on to coach the Boston Freedom Fighters in a now-defunct spring league and spent time as a defensive coach with Boston Renegades, a women’s football team.
