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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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Throwing from different arm angles a drawback as well as was his footwork

It’s funny to think about how football scouts want quarterbacks to play the game like robots.  They think that the only way for a QB to be an accurate passer is to throw the ball with a wide base and one’s shoulders pointed squarely at the target.

Thus, many people felt like Mahomes’ mechanics were troubling enough to cause some teams to stay away from him altogether.  Yes, the player who has become famous for no-look passes and making incredible throws that no one else could even dream of was expected to start throwing the ball the way Y.A. Tittle or Johnny Unitas would have 60 years ago.

"“Willingness to default to playground style appears to limit his ability to get into a consistent rhythm,” Zerlein wrote. “Needs to improve anticipatory reads and learn to take what the defense gives him. Decision making can go from good to bad in a moment’s notice. Operates from a narrow base and allows his upper body and arm to race ahead of his feet. Has a dip and wind-up in his standard release. Explosive delivery and follow-through causes some throws to sail. Needs better touch on intermediate and deep balls. Carries ball a little low in the pocket.”"

Mahomes certainly hasn’t struggled to get into a rhythm.  Look no further than this year’s playoffs.  After falling behind the Houston Texans 24-0, he led his team to 24 points in the second quarter.

Then, he guided K.C. to 28 unanswered points in the AFC Title Game after trailing Tennessee 17-7.  Of course, in the Super Bowl, he put up 21-straight points in the fourth quarter against the best defense in football.  But if only his mechanics were more conventional…

"“Between his inconsistent accuracy due to poor mechanics, his tendency to bail from clean pockets and his lack of field vision, he’s going to leave as many big plays on the field as he creates. This was a risky pick,” wrote Steven Ruiz of USA Today."

Mahomes certainly has proven these two analysts wrong.  Instead of leaving big plays on the field, he has become the NFL’s most feared big-play weapon.  According to this ESPN article from November, the Chiefs had produced 45 explosive plays (passes of 45 or more yards or runs of 20 or more yards) in Mahomes’ first six games of this year.

Sometimes you just have to let a player do what he does.  Never were Mahomes’ mechanics a reason that he missed big plays at Tech and the same has been true in the NFL.  But because he didn’t approach the game like a carbon copy of previous successful QBs who didn’t have his athleticism and innate talent, evaluators couldn’t wrap their minds around what he could become.

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