Interactive Graphic: How Good Are N.F.L. Teams at Picking the Best? So how do Pro Bowl-caliber players go undetected until late in the draft? In part, it's because assessing college players' N.F.L. potential is very difficult. Collegiate success is no guarantee in the N.F.L.; offensive and defensive schemes vary widely; and, unlike in baseball or basketball, there are relatively few games in a college season, which means there are fewer observable events for scouts. Financial considerations play a role too, since teams invest more money in earlier picks. What this adds up to is uncertainty, especially after the first round. Some early picks turn out to be duds (Ryan Leaf or JaMarcus Russell, anyone?), while Brady, Terrell Davis and other Pro Bowlers wait until the sixth round. Brady may be the best sixth round pick in N.F.L. history, but there are more than a dozen Pro Bowlers who were picked later than he was. Chances are the 2013 will have a few, too.