Julian Edelman is fresh off another spectacular season for the New England Patriots and became the first receiver to win a Super Bowl MVP since Hines Ward did it in Super Bowl 40.
However, Edelman's path to success wasn't always easy. In his first couple of seasons with the Patriots, Edelman was mostly a depth option and special teams player, and Bill Belichick was apparently hard on Edelman. It took its toll a bit, but luckily, Edelman found himself a mentor in running back Fred Taylor.
Taylor had a two-year stint with the Patriots from 2009-10, the first two years of Edelman's career. He advised Edelman in the early stages of his career, driving with him to and from the team hotel during camp.
"I welcomed him to ride in my car, to pick my brain about the game, about life outside the stadium, about money stuff, anything," Taylor said to ESPN's Mike Reiss. He was like a sponge."
It's unsurprising that Edelman -- a college quarterback turned receiver, special teams ace and, at times, a defensive player -- absorbed information like a sponge. That said, the fact that Taylor, a then-33-year-old veteran running back, elected to mentor Edelman was interesting, and he recently opened up about why he did that.
"I saw a lot of myself in him. Julian was so hard on himself, and when the coaches were hard on him, he would get down. Way down," said Taylor per Reiss. "Going to New England can be tough for rookies, with [Bill Belichick's] coaching style, but I would say, 'You don't know how good you got it. You all have to appreciate this.' Julian thought Coach was being a hardass, and tough on him. But that's because he saw something in Julian. Some people don't recognize that until it's too late, but fortunately for Julian, he figured it out."
New England Patriots
Safe to say, Edelman certainly has figured it out. He's fourth in all-time Super Bowl catches with 24 and has averaged 86 catches, 935 receiving yards, and five touchdowns over the course of the past five seasons he has played (he missed 2017 due to a torn ACL). The 33-year-old has become a leader of his own on the Patriots' offense as well and figures to be Tom Brady's most trusted target with Rob Gronkowski now retired.
And Patriots fans can thank Taylor, in part, for helping Edelman to realize his full potential.
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