If we knew then what we know now, Patrick Mahomes would have been the first pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Although Myles Garrett is on a hall-of-fame trajectory with the Cleveland Browns, Mahomes has become the NFL‘s best quarterback over the same six-year span. In five seasons as the Kansas City Chiefs starting quarterback, he has been a Pro Bowler every year, won two NFL MVP awards and is playing in his third Super Bowl. He landed in the perfect situation coming out of Texas Tech.
Days before Super Bowl 57, Mahomes retweeted an interview he had from Radio Row in Houston.
Let’s just say this was an oracular spectacular, as everything Mahomes said to BJ Kissel came true.
Patrick Mahomes reshares this Super Bowl interview of his from yesteryear
What you have to remember about Mahomes was he was a polarizing prospect coming out of Texas Tech. Although he is a very likable guy, pundits certainly had skepticism of if his gunslinger mentality to playing quarterback would translate from the Big 12 to the NFL. Texas Tech was a middling team when Mahomes was playing quarterback for his former head coach, Kliff Kingsbury.
The thought of Mahomes going in the second round seems laughable now, but that was certainly in play during the early part of his draft process. He blew teams away during the interview portion of it. His arm talent and productivity coming out were undeniable, but his sloppy footwork and playing in an Air Raid offense were certainly causes for concern. Clearly, he overcame those issues.
Even in his early 20s, Mahomes had great self-awareness to realize he had to improve his footwork and that he needed to go to the right team to have anywhere close to this level of success. Credit to him for putting in the work to be the best player he could be, but his meteoric rise to superstardom does not happen without Andy Reid. He saw far beyond the Big 12 Air Raid.
What this interview showcases is Mahomes always had the makings of a future NFL star. Even if he went to a bad organization, Mahomes’ talent and upside would have shined through anyways. He just may not have been the player he is today. Only in year six out of Texas Tech, Mahomes is already a lock for Canton and well on his way towards becoming a Mount Rushmore quarterback.
The fact the Chiefs traded up for him with the Buffalo Bills makes his story even more incredible.