Patrick Mahomes says it’s Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien that seems to like him more than most teams leading to the NFL Draft.
There’s not likely a hotter prospect in the upcoming 2017 NFL Draft than Patrick Mahomes at this point. For the first few weeks of the offseason, Mahomes was the fourth quarterback of the bunch, the lowest among a tier that included Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer. Now the Texas Tech quarterback has definitely leaped over Watson and Kizer while staving off competition from Nathan Peterman and Davis Webb to likely be the second signal caller off the board in the first round.
Mahomes always had the right numbers with 93 career touchdowns in just over two seasons as a starter, especially compared to only 29 interceptions. Unfortunately the system at Texas Tech is rigged to produce those sorts of numbers, so Mahomes has been forced to answer questions about the offensive scheme and convince teams of his ability to produce in pro-style systems as well.
The good news is that Mahomes is convincing, both in his interviews and workouts. Even recently he mentioned that he’s getting a good vibe from several NFL coaches as he tours for various workouts, but he’s getting the most positive response from one in particular: Bill O’Brien, head coach of the Houston Texans.
"“I feel like a lot of coaches like me, but especially coach O’Brien. I think my personality and how real I am, those are things beyond what I can do on the field that he likes,” Mahomes said. “It seemed like the way I was answering questions, I think he knew that I knew what was going on. You can tell when coaches have a confidence in you.”"
Mahomes’ quote is an interesting nugget, because it’s rare that a player dishes on a team’s level of interest prior to the draft and even signals out a head coach in this way. Perhaps he’s just aching to play close to home for a team that’s already playoff-ready with a pass rush that’s second to none in the NFL. It’s hard to imagine Mahomes wouldn’t be enamored with options like Will Fuller and DeAndre Hopkins available to him.
If this smoke signals a fire, then the Houston Texans likely know they’re already going to have to leap over some other teams to get to Mahomes. They might not have to pull a move all the way into the top tier of the overall draft, but trumping the Arizona Cardinals at No. 13 certainly makes sense. That’s a long way for one team to have to move from No. 25, where the Texans currently select.
Even more so, that’s bad news for the Kansas City Chiefs, who have been connected with Mahomes in mock drafts all through the pre-draft season. If the Chiefs really like Mahomes, they’re going to have to fight with a team like the Texans and maybe even the Cardinals or Jets for the chance to draft him. With every pick, it’s likely that general managers will be trying to move up or crossing their fingers that they won’t hear the words, “We have a trade.”
All of this, of course, is what makes the draft so compelling, the slow unfolding of the drama and strategy at work behind the scenes. Just how interested are the Texans? Did Mahomes give away their hand? Is it all a smokescreen?