The three quarterbacks most often put in the first round of 2017 NFL mock drafts are Deshaun Watson, Mitch Trubisky and DeShone Kizer. Occasionally you’ll see Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomes’ name in the first round but too often. That could be changing as NFL Network’s Mike Mayock says the more he watches Mahomes, the more he thinks he’s a first round pick.
“There is a lot of conversation with Patrick Mahomes from Texas Tech,” Mayock said on Monday. “He's different. He's a gunslinger. He's got an innate feel for the game. The more I look at him, the more I'm pushing him higher and closer to that first-round conversation with Kizer, Watson, and Trubisky. So I think Mahomes is picking up steam in NFL circles.”
The bottom of the first round is the sweet spot for the Chiefs who are picking 27th. If the Chiefs believe he’s their guy and they can get him at the end of the first, that would be outstanding. If it were so obvious that he was going to be a star he would go much higher so clearly there are flaws such as the system he played in at Texas Tech being difficult to translate to the NFL.
If the mock drafts are right - they never are - the top three quarterbacks will be off the board before the Chiefs pick. That would leave Mahomes or another option later - if the Chiefs draft a quarterback.
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, I should also point out that Mayock said he’s not in love with any of these quarterbacks early and none of them are ready to start on day one.