Tom Brady gives keys to building a team from the Draft: GOAT holds the master key to the ultimate ‘team culture’

Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady says an NFL franchise’s Draft decisions help to provide a “window into its culture”in a blog post in which the legendary quarterback discussed how to build a winning team.

“These are the traits that are going to matter most”

In his latest weekly newsletter on Monday, Brady identified “determination, competitiveness, resilience, perseverance, humility, integrity, (and) intelligence” as qualities that are key to a successful NFL recruit.

“I don’t care if you were the last guy signed or the first guy picked, on winning teams these are the traits that are going to matter most.”

Looking back on his nearly two-decade career as player with the New England Patriots, Brady described his former team as a “perfect example” of how a franchise’s recruitment choices reflect on the organization’s overall culture.

“Champions, not stars”

“Our culture was built around selflessness, teamwork, and winning,” wrote the 47-year-old, who is now a minority co-owner of the NFL franchise the Las Vegas Raiders.

“We wanted champions, not stars. Everything we did was about identifying or instilling a champion’s mindset in the people who walked through our doors – whether through the draft, free agency or trade.

“With guys like Tedy Bruschi, Julian Edelman, Dont’a Hightower and Wes Welker to name just a few, we were long on ‘we/us’ and as short as possible on ‘me/I’.”

Brady’s blog post followed last week’s 2025 NFL Draft, an event that was dominated by teams’ reluctance to pick Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Although widely tipped to be a first-round selection, Sanders had to wait until the fifth round before finally being chosen by the Cleveland Browns, with teams’ doubts about the 23-year-old’s personality reportedly contributing to his fall to 144th pick.

Who did Brady’s Las Vegas Raiders choose in the Draft?

Brady’s Raiders, who are targeting a return to the NFL Playoffs in the 2025 season, used their first-round pick – one of 11 Draft selections by Las Vegas – to snap up running back Ashton Jeanty from the Boise State Broncos.

The Nevadans also selected: TCU wide receiver Jack Bech; Iowa State cornerback Darien Porter; Texas Tech offensive tackle Caleb Rodgers; William & Mary offensive tackle Charles Grant; Tennessee wide receiver Dont’e Thornton; South Carolina defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway; Ole Miss defensive tackle J.J. Pegues; Montana State wide receiver Tommy Mellott; North Dakota quarterback Cam Miller; and Minnesota linebacker Cody Lindenberg.

Brady, who is also a minority owner of WNBA franchise the Las Vegas Aces and English soccer club Birmingham City, is himself a prominent example of a low Draft pick. Before embarking on a historic professional playing career, the Californian had to wait until the sixth round to be selected by the Patriots at No. 199 in 2000.

The QB won six Super Bowls in 18 seasons with the Patriots, before adding another NFL championship during a three-year spell with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His haul of seven titles makes him the Super Bowl’s most decorated player.