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Texas Tech football alums: Looking back at laughable Pat Mahomes scouting reports

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - SEPTEMBER 26: Patrick Mahomes #5 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrates with Jakeem Grant #11 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders after scoring a touchdown against the TCU Horned Frogs on September 26, 2015 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. TCU won the game 55-52. Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - SEPTEMBER 26: Patrick Mahomes #5 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrates with Jakeem Grant #11 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders after scoring a touchdown against the TCU Horned Frogs on September 26, 2015 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. TCU won the game 55-52. Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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He didn’t take any snaps under center in college

Even as recently as 2017, many people were concerned about the fact that Mahomes didn’t take hardly any snaps from under center in college.  It’s as if these scouts and talent evaluators were still expecting the QB position to be played the way it was in 1970 when the Chiefs won their first Super Bowl.

"“The only time he has ever lined up under center is on an occasional quarterback sneak,” wrote Austin Smith of Drafttek.com  “On half of his pass plays he doesn’t even drop back, instead just catching the snap and throwing."

Why was there a belief that Mahomes would need to take snaps from under center in 2017 when the spread offense revolution was already in full force in the NFL?  QBs such as Russell Wilson had already proven that they could win titles by playing almost primarily from the shotgun.

By this point in the NFL’s evolution, even the college-inspired run-pass-options (RPOs) had become the most common form of play-action passes for offenses around the league.  Yet somehow, the idea that Mahomes’ inexperience with taking snaps under center would be a problem was prevalent.

"“Mahomes is going to need to learn how to work under center, call plays in a huddle, and develop his footwork to make drops from being under center,” wrote Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com.  “His college offense featured a lot of quick throws, screens, and designed runs that don’t translate to the NFL.”"

That evaluation is even more hilarious because it was thought that this kid who played in the spread offense wouldn’t be able to call plays in a huddle.  Really?  He wouldn’t be able to hear the play that his offensive coordinator said to him over the speaker in his helmet and then repeat that to his teammates?   Of course not.  Calling plays in an NFL huddle is just one step short of nuclear physics.

"“Every youth league coach that I’ve ever met … has mustered the ability to teach sixth graders to take snaps under center,” “Air Raid” pioneer Mike Leach said in 2016. “So if you’re a scout and if your guys at your whatever NFL team are a fraction of the coaches that you hope they’re going to be, I should think that they’re able to teach somebody to take a snap from under center. I mean, obviously, the guy already knows how. A chimpanzee can take the snap from under center.”"

Go back and look at Mahomes’ highlights from 2018 and you will see that 95% came from the shotgun.  That’s because his head coach, Andy Reid, was smart enough to put his young QB in a position to maximize his skill set.  Why the scouts thought that the only way for Mahomes to succeed would be to play football the way it was played five decades ago is beyond comprehension.

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