Ahead of the 2017 NFL Draft, SB Nation listed what it saw as the top four quarterbacks available to teams. In order, they were Deshaun Watson, Mitchell Trubisky, DeShone Kizer and Patrick Mahomes.
The Arizona Republic asked readers to vote on the best quarterback in the draft that year and didn’t even include Mahomes as an option.
Mahomes had heard the doubters that spring, so he penned an essay on The Players Tribune, making a case for why teams shouldn’t shy away from drafting him.
Here is an excerpt from what Mahomes wrote seven years ago as he made promises about his future:
“Everything that critics want to knock me on, I know I can fix with hard work. I am not a project quarterback. People who say that aren’t really watching my tape. I know that I can make any throw, especially when my team needs a big play.
“In three years at Texas Tech, I learned a lot about leading an offense. So much of that has to do with earning respect in the locker room. Leaders set an example for others. I don’t expect to walk in and know everything on the first day of training camp, but I am ready to get started on that process. Right away you’ll see the type of player I am and, more important, the type of player I want to be in the huddle.
“I hope the main thing you noticed when you were looking at my college stats was that I improved in every major category each season. That’s what I’m most proud of. I won’t try to predict the future, but I guarantee you that if there’s one thing I do know, it’s how to get better.
“And I know that if I want to walk in and make an immediate impact, my mindset has to be that I have to continue to improve every day, every practice, every snap. I’m determined to do that.
“I will not whine or complain during the process. I won’t be a distraction, on or off the field.
“I will put in the hours to master your playbook. I won’t stop until I get everything right, down to the smallest detail.
“I may make mistakes along the way. And I won’t win every single game I play during my career. I won’t retire with a perfect passer rating or zero career interceptions. But I’ll try as hard as anybody.”
Those words have proved to be true.
The Chiefs traded up for Mahomes and took him with the 10th overall pick. For nearly his entire rookie season, Mahomes sat behind Alex Smith, kept quiet and learned the playbook. Mahomes was never a distraction.
Since Mahomes has become the Chiefs’ starter, they have won three Super Bowls, four AFC Championships and six AFC West titles. Teammates have raved about his leadership skills.
Mahomes wrapped up his essay with this thought, which we now know was on the mark.
“I’m ready to start the journey to a championship,” Mahomes wrote. “And, more than anything else in the world, I’m ready to suit up and play some football. The sooner we can get to it, the better.
“Just wait until you see me in the huddle.”
