NFL Draft grades: Chiefs earn ‘C’ for Patrick Mahomes trade

Bleacher Report’s Mike Tanier gives the Chiefs a ‘C’ grade for their trade up to get Patrick Mahomes in the first round of last week’s draft.

The majority of NFL writers didn’t care for the first round results for the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2017 NFL Draft. Mike Tanier, NFL writer for Bleacher Report, joins the chorus and says he doesn’t like the cost the Chiefs gave to trade up and get Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes even as he understands his ceiling.

Tanier says the ceiling for Mahomes is good, even at Tony Romo-when-healthy level, but he’s also not a sure thing and the Chiefs already have Alex Smith in house. He writes:

"My issue is that the Chiefs have been in playoff also-ran mode for years. They could have traded up and upgraded their defense to get over the top in 2017. Reid’s Eagles tended to get stuck in 10- 11-win ruts. They could swap out quarterbacks and remain in the same rut, because they still have too many needs in other areas."

For Tanier, the better move for a team like the Chiefs, who had 10 selections overall in this deep draft, would have been to add a player like cornerback Kevin King or linebacker Reuben Foster in the first round, perhaps keep Kpassagnon in the second and then have multiple picks left in the middle rounds to grab a sure thing at inside linebacker and further depth along the lines—maybe even some competition for Parker Ehinger at left guard.

Still the Chiefs had a serious hole at quarterback and it speaks volumes that the team paid what it did to move up. Tanier might not think it’s a sure thing, but Reid and company are betting on it, which bodes well for Mahomes future. Even if some draft analysts don’t believe in the meantime.