“He Is Nowhere Ready to Play in the NFL”: Years Before $503 Million Boost, Patrick Mahomes Was Called Out With a Shocking Grade for a Stunning Reason
2017 was the year everything changed for Kansas City Chiefs. The start of a legacy. And the start of the journey of one of the greatest QBs in the game, Patrick Mahomes. Alex Smith was the starting QB back then with Mahomes still learning under him. The Chiefs picked up the young QB back in the 2017 NFL Draft as their 10th overall pick. But back then, no one would have imagined this draftee to turn the fortunes of the franchise forever.
Patrick Mahomes was not expected to be a class QB
HC Andy Reid struck gold in the 2017 Drafts. While it took a good two years for Mahomes to make an impact, it goes to show how nature and nurture led to him being who he is regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the league. One might question why. Why did they not have faith in the young QB back then?
A recent tweet by ML Football shows how Patrick Mahomes was given a low draft grade after he was drafted by the Chiefs. The reason was explanatory in the analysis given on the player. The analysis stated that “he is nowhere ready to play in the NFL.” It shunned his game mechanics and also called out his accuracy as poor. In fact, the analysis felt that Mahomes will miss out on big moments in the game with his lack of field vision.
Now, two Super Bowl championships later, one can only laugh at the grade given to one of the best QBs of all time. Throughout his time at the Chiefs Kingdom, Mahomes has developed into an offensive weapon, leading his team to glory in the league.
Mahomes’ legacy with the Chiefs
As a starting QB in the last five seasons, Patrick Mahomes has shown his worth and importance in the field countless times. Apart from his Super Bowl wins, he also has two league MVPs and two Super Bowl MVPs under his name. But even before Mahomes arrived, the team already had a playoff contention-worthy team under Andy Reid. Mahomes came in as the most important piece of the operation. An operation that didn’t ask him to alter their course in the league, but to prolong it even further. And he did just that. The franchise even signed a blockbuster 10-year $503 million deal with the QB to retain his services for the time to come. Another example of the value he carries as a QB today.
