Comparisons between college prospects and NFL players are common enough, but they're almost always made of two players at the same position, skill set to skill set.
So it's quite the outlier for New England Patriots QB Jacoby Brissett to be compared to running backs and linebackers, but that's the direction former Patriots coach Bill Parcells went in recently as he raved about Brissett following New England's selection of the QB in last weekend's draft.
"He's a Curtis Martin, Willie McGinest, Troy Brown type player. That's the kind of guy he is. That's what New England is getting," Parcells said, according to The Boston Herald. "Those kinds, those Tedy Bruschi types, those players who've been successful -- he's very similar in his personal life to those kinds of guys."
Refreshing: a comparison of character rather than on-field skills. Parcells was New England's head coach when the Patriots greats he mentioned were drafted.
Parcells saw Brissett play in high school near his Jupiter, Fla., home, per The Herald, and has since become a mentor to the former Florida quarterback who transferred to North Carolina State. Brissett played at Palm Beach Dwyer High, about a half hour from Jupiter.
Of course, Parcells has a close relationship with Patriots coach Bill Belichick -- who served as an assistant to Parcells with the Giants and Jets -- and it wouldn't be a surprise if the two compared notes on Brissett leading up the draft, before the Pats took him in the third round (No. 91 overall). Brissett was the fifth quarterback chosen in the draft, ahead of a far more touted passer, but one whose intangibles came under pre-draft fire, in Michigan State's Connor Cook.
"You never really know for sure until you see a player under the gun, so to speak, at the top level," Parcells said. "But, that being said, I have a very high regard for (Brissett). He's an awesome kid. He's very bright. He has zero personal issues. He's a very dedicated, committed guy and I think he's going to the absolute perfect place for him. They've got a great coach, a great organization, and they've got a great role model playing that he'll be able to observe and learn from."
That would be Tom Brady, who at 38 years old will be handing over the keys to the Patriots' offense eventually. New England began preparing for that in drafting Jimmy Garoppolo in Round 2 in 2014. In Brissett, Belichick is doubling up on young apprentices behind one of the game's all-time greats.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
