KC Chiefs: Ranking every first-round pick since 2000

DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 25: Clyde Edwards-Helaire #25 of the Kansas City Chiefs escapes a tackle attempt by Bradley Chubb #55 of the Denver Broncos in the fourth quarter of a game at Empower Field at Mile High on October 25, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 25: Clyde Edwards-Helaire #25 of the Kansas City Chiefs escapes a tackle attempt by Bradley Chubb #55 of the Denver Broncos in the fourth quarter of a game at Empower Field at Mile High on October 25, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JANUARY 17: Quarterback Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs scrambles during the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Cleveland Browns at Arrowhead Stadium on January 17, 2021 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JANUARY 17: Quarterback Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs scrambles during the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Cleveland Browns at Arrowhead Stadium on January 17, 2021 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

1. Patrick Mahomes

What more can say about the NFL’s favorite son?

Patrick Mahomes has been a model citizen since he entered the league, loaded with an everyman demeanor and superhuman talent. He’s truly a generational player who has elevated the Chiefs franchise to levels never known before and his presence at the game’s most important position means that Kansas City will be Super Bowl contenders for as long as Mahomes is playing.

Last year, the Chiefs rewarded him with the single biggest contract in American team sports for being such a transformative player for the franchise. Mahomes has won a regular season MVP and a Super Bowl MVP in his first three seasons as a starer and seems intent on setting any and all records in his path. He even recently seemed to challenge Tom Brady to wait and see on how things will turn out by the end of his career.

If anything, a bit more ink should be spilled giving credit to the Chiefs front office and coaching staff, including former GM John Dorsey, for threading the needle to know when and where to trade up exactly to get Mahomes at No. 10 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. Mitchell Trubisky was taken early by the Chicago Bears, and the Houston Texans grabbed Deshaun Watson after Mahomes was taken. Somehow the Chiefs convinced the Buffalo Bills to part with their selection for an extra first and third and claimed the game’s best player in the process. A genius move from all sides.