 Top: Edelman holding the Lombardi trophy after the New England Patriots' victory in Super Bowl XLIX. Middle: Edelman and New England Patriots Quarterback, Tom Brady. Bottom: Edelman makes a one handed catch in a game against the Miami Dolphins.
| After working hard and persistently trying to get better all his life, Julian Edelman was drafted into the NFL. In the 7th round and the 232nd pick of the 2009 NFL Draft, he was selected by the New England Patriots.At the time of the draft when he got picked, Edelman was already preparingwho he wouldsign with, viaFree Agency. The draft report on Edelman states that he is 6 feet tall, but in an interview with Edelman, he states that he is in fact not 6 feet tall, but only 5 feet 10 inches.Scouts said that Julian was "injury prone" and "too short to see the whole field." His struggle with size has yet continued to be against him. Edelman said in an interview that even though it was the last round and almost one of the last picks, that he still got drafted into the NFL which was all that mattered. Even though Edelman was starting his NFL career with the New England Patriots, didn't mean that he had a specific position and was going to be a starter. In fact, reporters of the NFL and Draft said Edelman was "...least likely going to New England to make an impact." Edelman was used to being a Quarterback, but someone by the name of Tom Brady had successfully taken that position. Now, the Patriots and Edelman had to figure out where Edelman fit in with his speed, size, and perseverance. Eventually, Edelman is named as a Wide Receiver and Punt Returner. In his first season with the Patriots in 2009, Edelman was successful, but he was not able to show his potential until Wide Receiver Wes Welker tore his ACL and MCL. Welker was replaced with Edelman and successfully filled the role. After teammates, coaches, and fans saw his potential he was dubbed as Welker's mini me. That season ended with Edelman having 359 yards, 37 receptions, one total touchdown, and eleven games played. The next season, in 2010, was a tough one for Edelman. He played less time in the game and ended the season with only 86 yards and 7 receptions. That season, Edelman didn't get one touchdown even though he played 15 games. Although Julian didn't see much playing time in the 2010 season, he made a 94 yard punt return touchdown. The 2011 season started as Edelman playing the position of kick and punt returner. During the season, Edelman also played defensive back. Edelman earned the title of AFC Special Teams Player of the Week during this season, and also the "Hardest Working Man." He ended up playing 13 games and getting 34 yards, 4 receptions, and no touchdowns. The next season as a Patriot, started with Edelman starting over Wes Welker in a game versus the Arizona Cardinals. Edelman was inactive for three games that season after an injury.He was also inactive when he broke his right foot on December2nd. Edelman ended the season with 3 touchdowns, 235 yards, 21 receptions, and 9 games played. The 2013 season was the beginning ofJulian's NFL peak. He started the season via free agency and signed with the New England Patriots. He played 16 games that season and had a total of 6 touchdowns that year. He had 1,056 yards and 105 receptions. 2014- the year it all came together and finally made sense to Julian. Winning is what New Englanders knew the Patriots did, and this year they won all of it. He became a free agent, again, after the 2013 season and re-signed with New England for $17 million for four years. Julian and the team fought this whole season and became AFC Champions over the Indianapolis Colts. After winning the AFC Championship,they were on to Super Bowl XLIX. Following the motto, "Do your job," Julian and the Patriots traveled to Arizona where they would fight to win Super Bowl 49. In a nail-biter game, Julian caught the game winning touchdown which put Patriots on top over the Seattle Seahawks with a score of 28-24. Julian was a Super Bowl champion, and all his dreams were coming true. He ended the season with playing 14 games, scoring 4 touchdowns, 92 receptions, and 972 yards. Starting his seventh season with the Patriots this year, Edelman already hasseven touchdowns, which is a career high. He has played all9 gamesso far and has61 receptions,692 yards, and7 touchdowns.Early in the season against the Indianapolis Colts, Edelman dislocated his pinky after scoring a touchdown. This injury resulted in Edelman making mistakes that could have earned him more touchdowns. In a game against the New York Giants, Edelman was tackled and broke a bone in his foot. The next day he went into surgery. He returned with the Patriots to the Kansas City Chiefs Playoff Divisional round weeks later.  Left: Edelman during Super Bowl XLIX |
