The Kansas City Chiefs targeted Patrick Mahomes as their quarterback of the future and paid heavily to move up and snag the big-armed passer.
K.C. traded the No. 27 overall pick, a third-round pick and their 2018 first-round selection to the Buffalo Bills to move up to No. 10 to select Mahomes.
The Texas Tech product possesses the prototypical size with the arm strength scouts drool over. Compared to a gunslinger like Brett Favre, Mahomes can make wow throws, but also gets in trouble with poor mechanics and throwing into space.
"He has the best arm of the group but he plays crazy," one scout told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Bob McGinn during the draft process. "I don't even think 'gunslinger' is the right word. He's reckless. ... I remember seeing (Brett) Favre in his bowl game his senior year. In that game he had three or four plays you thought were a little off the wall. Mahomes might have 20 plays in a game where you go, 'What are you doing?'"
Mahomes had the most passing touchdowns among all FBS players (77) over the course of the last two seasons. He joins Donovan McNabb (#2 overall in 1999) as the only QBs selected in the first round by an Andy Reid-coached team.
Coming from a spread offense, Mahomes needs time to adjust to an NFL offense. He couldn't have landed in a better spot than working with Andy Reid.
Mahomes will have the chance to learn behind Alex Smith for at least the next season -- and possibly the next two -- before taking the reins down the road.
Smith is under contract through 2018 and knows about playing mentor to a young big-armed quarterback, being unseated in San Francisco by Colin Kaepernick. Since Smith took over as the Kansas City starter in 2013, the Chiefs have the fewest completions of 20-plus air yards in the NFL by far. Whenever Mahomes eventually takes over, that should change in K.C.
