Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs – Gunslinger…or Blunder Bringer?

By Ha Kung Wong

Twitter: @FBGarbageTime

When the 2016 NFL Season ended, there were three QBs on everyone’s 1st Round Draft board.  And before the 2017 NFL Draft kicked off on April 27th at 8 PM ET, there were still three QBs on everyone’s 1st Round Draft board, but one of them wasn’t the same.  DeShone Kizer of Notre Dame was out and Patrick Mahomes of Texas Tech was in.  And at least one team was all-in on this change.

The Kansas City Chiefs moved up huge to the No. 10 selection and drafted Mahomes in the first round, giving up the 27th pick this year, a first-round pick next season and a third-round selection this year to the Bills to get there.

So, was he worth it?

Mahomes had a big season last year in Texas Tech’s high powered speed offense, passing for 5,052 yards with 41 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.  He earned honorable mention All-Big 12 notice in 2015, starting every game and leading the FBS with 393 yards of total offense per game (4,653 yards, 36 TDs, 15 INTs, 63.5 completion percentage). Mahomes was a second-team all-conference pick in 2016, leading the FBS with 421 passing yards per game (5,052 total, 41 TDs, 10 INTs, 65.7 completion percentage). He’s also managed 22 rushing TDs, clearly demonstrating his effectiveness on the ground as well as in the air.

Putting it all in context, Mahomes had the most total yards and most total TDs in 2016 of any QB in the Big 12 and 6th most total career TDs in Big 12 history.  Now THAT is impressive.

He also ended up winning the Sammy Baugh Trophy for most outstanding passer in 2016, which is the same trophy that legends Steve Young and John Elway won, and more recently, Derek Carr.  So he’s definitely in good company.

His Combine results had some solid but unspectacular results (3 cone drill – 6.88 seconds & 20 yard shuttle – 4.08 seconds), but his big arm was on display during his Pro Day as he threw an impressive 78-yard Hail Mary.

Of course, he’s been universally panned for poor footwork and taking too many chances with 50/50 balls, but his big arm and gunslinging play has been compared to Brett Favre.

There’s the obvious concern that he’s not played in a pro style offense, but that doesn’t seem to bother him:

We’re all pretty much spread (offense) quarterbacks. No one really knows what anyone’s going to do. So for me, it’s trying to get to that ceiling. Try to get there and try to be one of the best, not worry about where the floor is. Always go up.

Well, he’s already made it into the top 10 of the 2017 NFL Draft.  So clearly he’s moving in the right direction.  He’ll certainly need time to develop and is not an immediate starter.  So whether it pans out in Kansas City is yet to be seen, but landing with Andy Reid’s regime, along with having time to learn behind Alex Smith, is probably best case scenario for Mahomes.  Well played, Chiefs.

tagged with