Why has drafting Patrick Mahomes created a “mania” in Kansas City?

Our own Kent Swanson joined Henry Lake and Jay Binkley on The Day Shift on 610 Sports Radio Monday morning to discuss all things Kansas City Chiefs.

One of the items that came up during the conversation was about Patrick Mahomes and the “full-blown mania” he has created within Kansas City.

Henry Lake: “I get the excitement, but it’s beyond excitement—it’s like a full-blown mania right now when it comes to Patrick Mahomes. When you look at [Arrowhead Pride] and all the stuff that you guys are doing, you guys are continuously putting stuff up there about Patrick Mahomes because the fans just cannot get enough.”

Kent Swanson: “When you wait 30 years to see a first-round quarterback, you’re going to see a mania around it, and I think Chiefs fans in general are in very unfamiliar territory. They don’t understand or know how to handle a first-round quarterback being in their city, so the fans that were trying to justify and look at a Brodie Croyle as the future? Now they’ve got a guy with legitimate talent, who has some rare skill sets and abilities. I understand why there’s a mania, and a guy like Andy Reid is the kind of guy that can get the most out of him. I think there’s optimism based upon the situation he’s been dropped in, which is one of the best for a young quarterback I’ve ever seen.”

Jay Binkley: “It is, because typically when a guy gets drafted that high, it’s with a bad team. That draft position, you rarely see a guy going to a team back-to-back division champions with the expectations. Now, I’ve been hyping this guy up for a long time, Kent. I wanted the Chiefs to draft him. As a matter of fact, our first article on 610 Sports was me wanting Mahomes before the draft and every mock, I had Mahomes because I believe in this guy that much. I’ve been told at times to reel in my hype by people. How can I do it? I get ready to reel in my hype, and then general manager Brett Veach says, ‘He’s the best I’ve ever seen.’ And then Andy Reid talks about how he’s out there at high school football fields and how he’s pointing at guys and the leadership. And then when I hear Aqib Talib—any talking head like Louis Riddick can blow as much smoke up Patrick Mahomes’ butt that we can hear— but when I hear a guy like Aqib Talib, who doesn’t have to say anything, credits him after the game, and so does Von Miller, but Talib was saying, ‘the throws he was making,’ and he’s playing with Anthony Sherman in the backfield, he’s got Demetrius Harris at tight end. He’s got Albert Wilson, who had a career day. What can he do with Tyreek Hill? I just look at that game and the talent—he had less talent than the Broncos did that day and still won.”

Kent: “It’s a remarkable start to a career, and it’s really hard for us to temper expectations when all those factors you threw out there. It was freezing cold too! We forget about that, and he’s slinging the ball around without any issues. There are so many reasons to get excited about what this kid is capable of—the praise being heaped on by the players on the field against him. It’s really hard for us to temper our expectations here, I totally get that. He’s doing some rare things already.”

Swanson talks more Mahomes, the Chiefs’ 2018 wide receiver talent and his Lottery Ticket series, including what the Chiefs could have in potential left guard Ryan Hunter and running back Darrel Williams. Listen to the full 15-minute segment by clicking this link or by using the player below:

2:50 - Patrick Mahomes and the Kliff Kingsbury connection; 3:45 - Patrick Mahomes and the three-pronged approach; 5:00 - Chiefs fans and reacting to a first-round quarterback; 6:08 - Mahomes and the hype; 7:30 - What about the Chiefs’ crop of wide receiver talent? 9:30 - Lottery Tickets and a closer look and potential LG Ryan Hunter. 11:55 - More about RB Darrel Williams and his chances of making the Chiefs