After putting up stellar numbers as the Texas Tech quarterback, Patrick Mahomes is headed to the NFL, and it seems his stock is slowly on the rise, with the Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets all keeping tabs on him.
Mahomes, who won the Sammy Baugh trophy in 2016 for his performances, as someone who could end up being taken in the first round, with a not-so-stellar quarterback class helping bump him up. He was initially looked at a second round pick, but things have changed. The 49ers, Giants and Seahawks saw him during the Red Raiders’ pro day, and both the Giants and 49ers have seen him up close as well. The Jets are next on the list of teams he would like to impress, and it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if Mahomes end up with any other QB-needy team, especially those not in a rush to get someone to start for them.
While Mahomes has a strong arm and can deliver the ball quickly from different angles as well as avoid the sack pretty well, his technique and footwork probably need some working on to adjust to the NFL. He did thrive in Tech’s pass-happy system, but many quarterbacks put up big numbers in Lubbock. Mahomes finished with 5052 yards last season, including 41 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. He tied the record for passing yards in a game (734) and set a new record for total yards in the NCAA with 819 in that game. The NFL doesn’t usually treat these type of quarterbacks kindly.
Will Mahomes be taken by the Jets with the 6th overall pick? They did sign Josh McCown and have Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty as backups, so adding Mahomes with such a high pick might be a bit much. For the Giants and Seahawks, considering where they’re picking, Mahomes seems like a much more reasonable pick without having to juggle and make trades. The 49ers are a mess in terms of quarterback and are switching to a completely new system. Mahomes could get his best shot of starting right away if he lands in San Francisco.
Two other teams that have been mentioned in connection to Mahomes have been the Arizona Cardinals, who have made it known publicly they intend to draft a quarterback to groom behind Carson Palmer, and the Houston Texans, who always need a quarterback it seems, and their #25 overall pick seems to be positioned ideally for a selection of someone like Mahomes.