Locked on Chiefs: A preview of the NFL Draft’s quarterback class

Feb 4, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes II presents the humanitarian award to Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt during the Leigh Steinberg party at Hughes Manor. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes II presents the humanitarian award to Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt during the Leigh Steinberg party at Hughes Manor. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The latest episode of Locked on Chiefs takes a closer look at this year’s quarterback class and who Kansas City might be interested in.

The Kansas City Chiefs are going tobe in the market for a back-up quarterback.

With current backup Nick Foles slated to make $6.75 million in 2017, he becomes the prime candidate for release. Add in the rumored talk of bringing Tony Romo to Kansas City and the back-up position becomes critical. As the new extension for Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and possible franchise tag strains the Chiefs’ salary cap, the $6.75 million offered by Foles release is too important to give up. The team has invested in Tyler Bray, but it’s still unknown if he’s developed enough to be the primary backup.

To say that the quarterback free agent class is underwhelming is being generous. The draft offers the only chance for Kansas City to find a quarterback to develop that has starter potential.

The top three prospects in the 2017 draft class all have question marks. Some questions are due to experience, some are due to performance and some are due to skill, mechanics, or decision-making.

Mitch Trubisky shows through tools but is light on experience, having started only one season at North Carolina. Deshaun Watson has proven to be a winner, playing in two National Championship games. He shows some accuracy issues but has the capabilities needed to play in the NFL. DeShone Kizer is a well-rounded prospect with arm strength and athleticism. Decision making and lack of consistency will give general managers pause in drafting him early.

Patrick Mahomes Texas Tech appears to be the last of the top-tier quarterbacks in this draft class. Mahomes shows very good strong arm and solid athleticism, he is criticized for messy footwork and sometimes quirky delivery mechanics. The question will be his transition to a pro offense.

Value on the second day

Deeper second-day prospects include Brad Kaaya, who doesn’t wow physically but should be able to transition to the West Coast offense and develop. Nathan Peterman had a good Senior Bowl but displayed inconsistent accuracy and panicked decision-making during his career at Pitt.

Possibly the best value of the second-tier is Davis Webb. Webb has good arm strength, accuracy, and control. He also displays a tendency to be over-aggressive and makes suspect decisions at times.

The quarterback class as a whole offers some backup potential but the combine pro day and team visits will shed more light on who could fit as the number two quarterback in Kansas City.

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Locked on Chiefs is a daily podcast show that drills down to the bottom line and will give you a 360-degree view of the Kansas City Chiefs. Take a few minutes to hear about your Chiefs each day. We’ll cover the offseason, the draft and all the way to the Super Bowl and want to cover the topics you want to hear about. So reach out to us on twitter @LockedOnChiefs with questions and for up to the minute analysis and episode information.

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