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Choosing a quarterback in the NFL Draft is, as we have seen time and time again, an inexact science. Sometimes though, like in the case of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, you hit the jackpot.
History is littered with quarterbacks who were highly touted coming out of college that teams used high draft picks to select only to see them flop.
Rick Mirer, number two overall in 1993, Heath Shuler: Number three overall in 1994, Ryan Leaf: second overall in 1998, Akili Smith: third overall in 1999, and JaMarcus Russell: Number one overall in 2007 all come to mind.
However, for every Andre Ware: 7th overall in 1990 and David Klingler: 6th overall in 1992, there is a Brock Purdy, or a Tom Brady, or a Patrick Mahomes, that far exceeds the pundits’ expectations.
Just look at how several NFL analysts felt about the Chiefs taking Mahomes with the 10th overall pick in 2017 – two spots ahead of DeShaun Watson and eight spots behind Mitchell Trubisky.
“So, Patrick Mahomes… I don’t like him,” Shannon Sharpe said bluntly at the time. “I do not like this pick.”
Cris Carter agreed, criticizing the Chiefs for trading up and taking Mahomes over Watson.
Another analyst said the words he was hearing about Patrick Mahomes at the time were: undisciplined, lacking fundamentals, and immature.
In another clip, one pundit claimed that not only does Mahomes, coming out of college, have bad footwork, “he has NO footwork.”
Carter would also state that the only quarterback out of the 2017 Draft class that might win a championship is DeShaun Watson.
They mocked him. They ripped him.
He didn’t care.
John Dorsey had to have @PatrickMahomes. pic.twitter.com/5BBwsMNQC8
— Justin Spiro (@DarkoStateNews) February 12, 2024
Fast forward to today and it’s really no contest.
DeShaun Watson has played in 66 games, thrown for 16,756 yards, and been in and out of trouble since 2020.
Mitchell Trubisky has played in 69 games, passed for 12,536 yards, and was just cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Mahomes, on the other hand, has played in 96 regular season games, passed for 28,424 yards, won three Super Bowls, three Super Bowl MVPs, and is a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player.
John Dorsey (now a senior personnel executive for the Detroit Lions): Genius.