The Jets had a private workout with former Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes this morning, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle. As Rich Cimini of ESPN.com noted earlier today, the Jets will have met with every top QB prospect in the draft by the time draft day arrives, but Cimini believes those meetings are largely just a smokescreen to drive up the value of their No. 6 overall pick.
Nonetheless, Gang Green does need a long-term solution at the quarterback position, as free agent acquisition Josh McCown is a stopgap, and it is unclear what the team has in 2016 second-round pick Christian Hackenberg and 2015 fourth-round pick Bryce Petty. Mahomes has been scheduled for a league-high 18 official visits and private workouts, and he recently worked out for the Bengals, Cardinals, Saints, Chargers, and Browns.
Mahomes’ stock has been on the rise for the last couple of months. In February, the NFL’s College Advisory Committee gave the quarterback a second-round grade. Meanwhile, with an overall underwhelming crop of quarterbacks in this year’s class, it’s not hard to see Mahomes going somewhere in the first round. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com previously estimated that his floor could be No. 25 overall when the Texans are scheduled to be on the clock. His ceiling, according to La Canfora, could be as high as top three overall.
Mahomes passed for 5,052 yards last season for the Red Raiders along with 41 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He completed 65.7 percent of his throws. Over the past three years, Mahomes rushed for 22 touchdowns while running a spread offense. ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay recently said of the signal-caller, “He is a big-time developmental prospect, and I mean big time in both the positive and negative. I think his upside may be as great as any quarterback in this class, but his learning curve could be as great as any quarterback in this class because he comes from a system that has not translated well to the NFL.”
This workout is in keeping with a report several days ago indicating that the Jets have strong interest in Mahomes. The Jets also worked out former Texas Tech tight end Tyler Scalzi on Sunday.