Kansas City Chiefs: Post Draft Gut Reactions

First Round (10th overall) – Patrick Mahomes II – QB – Texas Tech

I can’t believe this actually happened. Exactly one week ago my entire post was about why the number one thing the Chiefs needed to do was identify which quarterback they wanted and do whatever they needed to go up and get him. I said that I would be fine with any quarterback that they decided was worth that commitment, but that my preference was Patrick Mahomes. We all have “draft crushes” and dream scenarios that we hope will come true every year. The thing is that they almost never do. This year the Chiefs did exactly what I wanted and drafted THE player that I wanted them to. I still don’t know if I believe that it’s real.

I don’t know if Mahomes will succeed in Kansas City. I think and hope that he will. I think he has the perfect situation to help it happen. None of that really matters today though. Unlike the other players in this post, I’m not going into detail as to his pros and cons as a player. You’ll find that in plenty of other places this week. I just want to take a moment to really describe just why this pick means so much to me and countless other Chiefs fans.

For DECADES we Chiefs fans have dreamed of having our own star franchise quarterback. We loved having Joe Montana, but he wasn’t really “ours”. We appreciated Trent Green and all that he did and accomplished. Many of us are even grateful for what Alex Smith has been able to do since he arrived in Kansas City. None of them will go down in history as a true franchise quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs. Every year we watched as other teams took their shot. Sometimes they hit a home run with an Aaron Rodgers or an Andrew Luck. Other times they swung and missed with a Jake Locker or Mark Sanchez, but at least there was a chance of finding “the guy”. We, as Chiefs fans, have never even had that chance.

Now we do.

The Chiefs went all in on a true big-time quarterback prospect. They not only invested their first round pick in one, they traded up seventeen spots and gave up next year’s first round pick to get the one they really wanted. Patrick Mahomes has an incredibly high ceiling. His huge playmaking ability is the exact opposite of what we have come to know in the Alex Smith era. Play it safe. Check down. Play not to lose. We Chiefs fans now have the hope that our star quarterback will make THE big throw. When we are down ten points in the fourth quarter, we may just have the guy that puts the team on his back and carries us to that win.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Mahomes WILL be that guy, but he could be. We finally have hope. I couldn’t ask for any more from the Chiefs in this draft. As soon as they traded up and took him, this draft became a win for me. Period.

Now on to round two.