Pat Mahomes In The Perfect Spot With Kansas City

Patrick Mahomes has landed in perhaps the best possible situation for him after being picked by the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 10 overall in the NFL Draft.

Months of speculation about the future of Pat Mahomes came to an end last night when he was selected No. 10 overall in the NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. Mahomes, the first Red Raider picked in the first round of the NFL Draft since Michael Crabtree in 2009, could not have asked for a better situation.

The most common reason first-round quarterbacks fail in the NFL is because they are often thrust into impossible situations having to take over the reins of awful teams. Fortunately, Mahomes is joining a Chiefs team that went 12-4 last season en route to winning the AFC West.

This is not a franchise in need of a rebuild. Rather, the Chiefs are already contenders to reach the Super Bowl meaning that Mahomes is not expected to be the team’s savior.

Consider how this situation differs from that of fellow first-round quarterback, Mitch Trubisky who was picked No. 2 overall by the Chicago Bears. The Bears went just 3-13 in 2016 and have had a winning record only twice since 2007.

The fervor for Trubisky to take over under center will hit full throat as soon as the Bears experience their first losing streak in 2017. That will not be the case for Mahomes in Kansas City.

The Chiefs’ starting quarterback, Alex Smith, has led the team to a winning record in each of the past four seasons. The fan base is pleased with the overall direction of the team and there will not be the pressure to put Mahomes into the starting role before he is ready.

Another reason that Mahomes is fortunate to be in Kansas City is because he will be groomed by one of the best head coaches in the NFL, Andy Reid. The 19-year NFL head coach has helped shape former NFL QBs Brett Favre (who Reid coached as Green Bay’s QB’s coach from 1997-1998) and Donovan McNabb into Pro Bowl players.

Reid is one of the best offensive coaches in football and his experience in working with top-level passers will benefit Mahomes. Many have compared Mahomes’ playing style to Favre because, like the NFL Hall of Famer, Mahomes has a cannon for an arm and is a risk-taker.

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Andy Reid will know how to help harness Mahomes gambling tendencies while allowing him to continue to improvise when needed because that is what he had to do with Favre in Green Bay. Favre averaged 4,039.5 yards per season and 37 touchdown passes in two seasons with Reid as his QB coach.

Many coaches in the NFL would try to make Pat Mahomes into a robot because they would be uncomfortable with his sandlot mentality. But Reid is creative and accomplished enough to be able to let Mahomes do what he does best which is make plays on the fly.

NFL.com’s scouting report on Pat Mahomes describes him as a “work in progress” . Most analysts feel that he needs to spend some time as a backup in the NFL so that he can refine his mechanics and learn a pro-style offense.

Yet, Texas Tech fans still remember what he did in 2014 as a true freshman. In his first three full games (he played only one quarter against Texas due to injury) he threw for 1,319 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Next: Kansas City Chiefs Select Pat Mahomes No. 10 Overall

It looks like that will not be required of Mahomes in the NFL and that is likely best for him in the long run. Though he has displayed magic when making the step from high school to the Big 12, he will benefit from spending some time acclimating to the NFL with a stable organization like the Kansas City Chiefs and their fantastic head coach Andy Reid before making the next jump in his bright career.

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