Patrick Mahomes has been known to throw the ball hard and far, and he has even been known to throw it hard and far into the hands of Kansas City Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill. But it wasn’t until last year’s NFL draft, when he was selected by the Chiefs with the 10th pick, that he had to make his most important throw: His pre-draft grade. His father, Pat Mahomes, had convinced him that his draft grade would determine not only the team he’d play for, but his whole career. “I had to make one of the biggest throws of my life,” said Mahomes, “and I had to do it on the biggest stage possible. Patrick Mahomes explains the life-changing impact of his pre-draft grade and how the NFL can eradicate a problem with microchips, with an easy fix that will make the NFL better for everyone
One of the biggest questions that NFL hopefuls face every year is whether or not they will get drafted by a team. While the NFL does not reveal its grading methods, you can at least find out what your pre-draft grade is by visiting a website like NFL.com, which offers a mock draft that shows projections for each pick. At least, that is what Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes did before his draft, and it may have changed the course of his life. Patrick Mahomes may be the biggest star in the NFL right now, but he hasn’t come into the league as a sure thing. You could even say he was considered a boom or bust by the Kansas City Chiefs. Clearly, the election has paid off. Nevertheless, the fact that people doubted his ability to succeed professionally reflects the uncertainty that surrounded Mahomes during the evaluation process. In a recent podcast, he talked about the impact of the pre-draft evaluation on his life and touched on a number of other topics. Mahomes spoke not only about the past, but also about a microchip-related idea that could change the NFL forever.
Patrick Mahomes silenced all doubts
Cliff Kingsbury made a big prediction about Patrick Mahomes’ contract for his first NFL start It didn’t take long for Mahomes to prove NFL teams wrong when they dropped him to 10th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. After sitting behind him as a rookie, Alex Smith took over as starter and immediately impressed. In his first full season, Mahomes completed 66 percent of his passes for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns. His raw numbers are lower in 2019, but that didn’t matter in the end. Kansas City entered the playoffs and won Super Bowl 54 against the San Francisco 49ers. Mahomes had an MVP-level campaign in 2024 with 4,740 yards passing, 38 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Unfortunately, the Chiefs’ attempt at another title ended with a loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55. Mahomes is only 25 years old, but he already looks like someone who will one day be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Considering he was third quarterback in his class, it shows how undervalued he was when he left school. But in three seasons, he has shown that he can dominate the game with a truly unique set of skills.
Chiefs star explains how his life was affected by a conscription score
Patrick Mahomes said his father suggested he quit football after an inglorious experience at the University of Texas. The NFL Draft is an inexact science. We’ve seen teams select players with excellent resumes and no obvious problems. At the same time, there are many examples of players who were selected only in the last round and later became big stars. So even with a player as talented as Mahomes, it can be incredibly difficult to predict how he will develop professionally. On the WHOOP podcast, the three-time Pro Bowler talked about his pre-draft evaluation. Once he received a second- or third-round review from the NFL Draft Advisory Board, Mahomes’ life changed forever. I told myself that over the next few months I would do my best to get my body in the best shape possible, he explained. My fitness, the way I eat, all that stuff, I worked like crazy and I got picked as number 10. Mahomes added: This resurgence and knowing that all the hard work I put in paid off boosted my career when I realized that I have to keep working like this forever if I want to continue to succeed.
Mahomes thinks the NFL can solve the overall problem with a simple solution
With his work ethic and natural talent, Mahomes has taken the NFL by storm in such a short time. In the future, however, he would like to see the league make a simple change to solve a common problem: determining whether a player actually brought the ball over the goal line. So how does Mahomes solve this problem and remove all doubt that a touchdown should count? Microchips, of course. I always thought the chip in the ball had to come at some point, that if you cross the line, you score a touchdown, he said. After acknowledging human error, Mahomes returned to the logic of using microchips to ensure marking accuracy. The biggest problem for me is that when they pile into the end zone, it’s literally impossible to tell if he’s in the end zone or not, he explained. Like you said, that’s just what we call it. I’m sure it will happen soon. All statistics are from Pro Football Reference.To hear Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tell it, there’s a lot more to the NFL draft than just waiting around to see if your name is called. Mahomes, who spent the weekend in Nashville preparing to get drafted by the Chiefs, told reporters that he spent hours looking at mock drafts and scouring the internet, trying to figure out which teams might pick him. “I was looking at what teams I thought I would fit with,” he said.
