Before Super Bowl clashes, Patriots and Seahawks met at top of draft
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Super Bowl LX will mark the second time that the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks have clashed in the NFL's championship game. New England took the first meeting, in Super Bowl XLIX, 28-24. Long before the Pats and Seahawks met in the big game, they were right next to each other in the NFL Draft; 1993 edition.
It would mark just the second time, 1971 being the first, that we would see quarterbacks go #1 and #2 overall. It has happened seven more times since, and each time that it does, it makes for a great debate. Back in '93, it was Washington State's Drew Bledsoe vs Notre Dame's Rick Mirer.
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The Pats went with Bledsoe, a native of Walla Walla, Washington, a town that is beloved by Borscht Belt comedians, simply because of its unique name. Bledsoe is a Patriots Hall of Famer and a NFL hall of very good as he made four Pro Bowls and led the Pats to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXI.
He later got a ring, as Tom Brady's back-up, in Super Bowl XXXVI. In a 1994 overtime win over Minnesota, Bledsoe had 70 pass attempts, a NFL record that still stands today.
As for Mirer, he was deemed to be the next Joe Montana, and that's understandable given how he wore #3 at Notre Dame. He fell way short of such expectations. While he did win UPI's NFL rookie of the year, things went downhill from there. Seattle gave up on him after four seasons, but somehow convinced the Chicago Bears to give up a first round pick for him.
The Goshen, IN native lasted just one season with the Monsters of the Midway. Mirer played for five more teams, but never did much with any of them. With apologies to The Doors, "no time to wallow in the Mirer," but that's what happened anyway, at least statistically. Mirer only completed 53% of his passes, over the course of his career, throwing for 76 INTs against only 50 touchdown passes.
While he played for several teams that made the postseason, Mirer never played a single down in the playoffs. However, he did very well in his professional life, as he owns a winery these days.
Seriously, if you own a vineyard, you're doing pretty well in life! That said, it's fair to say the Patriots made the right selection in the 1993 draft.
This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: When the Patriots beat the Seahawks, in the 1993 NFL Draft