Patrick Mahomes may have some LeBron James to his game

When you think of Patrick Mahomes, what do you think about?

Big arm, high ceiling, mobility, can throw on the run, Brett Favre (Thanks Tamba), the first quarterback the Chiefs selected in the first round since 1983.

It’s been a lot of the same.

That’s why when I come across something new about Mahomes, I try to bring it to light. On Monday night, I discovered that Mahomes may share a trait with the NBA’s best player, the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James.

The trait is Mahomes’ recall.

Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has come to the podium twice in the past seven days—first on August 1 and then on August 6.

Earlier in the week, there was some buzz going around about Mahomes’ frequency of interceptions during camp, so reporters asked Bieniemy how he and the Chiefs go about correcting those mistakes.

Bieniemy: “I think it’s a combination of everything because Pat has such a great recall. He can tell you what happened with coverage and as soon as the ball is released, he can tell you exactly what was going on. So it’s a quick learning process or a quick recall process for him during that moment, but then we get to sit down as a staff and say, ‘OK. Let’s talk through this. Let’s talk about the coverage. What were you thinking? How were you processing this and how can we improve upon that and not make this mistake again?’”

On Monday afternoon, Bieniemy was asked about the best part of coaching Pat. And there it was. He brought it up again.

Bieniemy: “First of all, the kid has a tremendous talent, but his recall. His recall is just amazing because he can tell you immediately what happened right after that play as far as coverage is concerned. If you made a mistake, ‘Hey, I should have did this,’ or ‘I should have did that because this defender did something.’ But that’s the impressive thing and watching him talk through it—it’s been very impressive in watching him work, also watching his development, but that recall is something special.”

Back in 2017, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora talked to MLB pitcher LaTroy Hawkins, Mahomes’ godfather.

“We always reinforce what the plan is and having the right people to help implement it with you, and I’ve always talked to him about taking care of your body, because your body is your temple, and if you take care of your body you are maximizing your God-given talent ... And He’s one of those kids who retains so much information. He has like a photographic memory — once you tell him something he’ll never forget it.”

When asked about the aforementioned interceptions earlier this training camp, Mahomes had little problem telling reporters exactly about the individual plays.

Earlier this year, in mid-May, LeBron James, regarded as one of the best athletes in the world, stunned reporters as he recalled seven straight possessions nearly precisely.

In the ESPN article, Total Recall: LeBron’s mighty mind, James discussed the benefits of his innate ability:

“It’s allowed me to see things before they happen, put guys in position, kind of read my teammates, knowing who is out of rhythm, who is in rhythm, knowing the score, the time, who has it going on the other end, knowing their likes and dislikes and being able to calibrate all that into a game situation,” James says. “That’s very challenging, but it comes natural. It can help your team out.”

Hey. I’m just saying.