Patrick Mahomes - Pro Football Rumors

Patrick Mahomes Gets Second-Round Grade

February 22nd, 2017 at 1:14pm CST by Zachary Links

Patrick Mahomes II’s stock appears to be on the rise. Today, the Texas Tech quarterback said that he received a second-round grade from the NFL’s College Advisory Committee (via Mike Florio of PFT).

For a while, the consensus seemed to be that UNC’s Mitch Trubisky would be the first QB off the board in this year’s draft with Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer following afterwards. Now, it seems like Mahomes could crack the top three at the position and, according to one report, possibly go inside of the first three overall picks. The Browns, 49ers, and Bears hold the first three picks and they could all be in search of a QB come draft time. If Mahomes doesn’t hear his name called that early, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com says that the Texans at No. 25 likely represent his floor.

The scouting combine in Indianapolis should give us a better idea of where Mahomes might go in April. In a draft class that has no slam dunks at the quarterback position, we could see lots of board shuffling between now and the spring.

Patrick Mahomes A Potential Top-3 Pick?

February 12th, 2017 at 4:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes should be considered a near-lock to be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft, and could be selected within the top three picks depending on how the Browns, 49ers, and Bears address the quarterback position in free agency and/or via trade, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. The Texans, who hold the 25th pick, likely represent the floor for Mahomes, per La Canfora.

Mahomes, 21, has been widely viewed as a Day 2 pick, so the suggestion that he could be chosen not only in the first round, but within the first thirty minutes of the draft, is quite surprising, to say the least. On most draft boards, including that of Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN.com, Mahomes is ranked as the fourth-best quarterback available behind UNC’s Mitch Trubisky, Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer.

The scouting combine will be significant for Mahomes, says Kiper, while La Canfora agrees Mahomes will be considered a “rising” prospect by the time the draft rolls around. The 2017 quarterback draft class is considered the worst crop of signal-callers since 2013, so it stands to reason that certain QBs will be artificially pushed up boards as the draft approaches. Still, many scouts believe Trubisky is the only passer guaranteed to be selected in the top-five.

Mahomes has served as the Red Raiders’ full-time starter for the past two seasons, and has averaged 4,853 yards and 39 touchdowns during that time.

Albert Breer On Draft, Mixon, Trubisky

February 10th, 2017 at 10:38am CST by Zachary Links

Could teams strike gold in this year’s draft? Those in the know tell Albert Breer of The MMQB that this is an exceptionally deep class.

“Depth-wise, it’s great,” said one AFC executive. “What I like about it is, if we do our job, and have faith in our scouts, we can get starters into the fifth round.”

“It’s a very good draft,” a top personnel executive for an NFC team added. “If you’re in a position like Cleveland is with a lot of picks—and you still gotta pick the right guys—but it’s an excellent draft. Very deep across the board.”

Breer’s entire column is worth a read, but here’s a look at some of the highlights:

There has been a lot of talk about Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon going undrafted, but one area scout is insistent that he’ll be taken. “It needs to be the right market, a team that can handle the onslaught, the right PR staff, because you’ll have to weather the storm,” said one area scout assigned to the Sooners. “But the guy the Chiefs drafted (Tyreek Hill), Joe Mixon isn’t half the douchebag that guy was. … You’d have to search to find people that don’t like him. Maybe the parking-lot attendant. Everyone there loves him. And I believe them.”
This year’s class of quarterbacks might not be as weak as advertised, according to some officials. “It’s a good quarterback class,” said our NFC exec. “Realistically, all five of those guys (Mitch Trubisky, DeShaun Watson, DeShone Kizer, Patrick Mahomes, and Davis Webb) go in the first two rounds.” That’s a bold prediction on the part of that anonymous exec since there have been only five drafts (2014, ’12, ’11, ’07, ’06) since 2000 in which five QBs went inside the first two rounds.
Meanwhile, it sounds like Trubisky is still the leader of the pack. “I’ll be shocked if Trubisky’s not the first one off the board,” said one AFC exec. One AFC scout is confident that he’s a “top two or three pick.” However, as Breer notes, the UNC QB doesn’t project as a superstar and it remains to be seen whether a team is willing to burn a top pick on someone who projects to be more of an Andy Dalton than a Tom Brady.
The strength of this year’s class will be in the secondary and at running back, Breer writes. There’s also depth when it comes to wide receiver and tight end. Where this class is lacking, however, is on the offensive line. NFL execs tell Breer that they are worried this is not a one-time instance, but a sign of things to code. The spread offense and practice restrictions, they say, are hurting the quality of college offensive linemen.

NFL Draft Rumors: Hooker, Ross, Mahomes

January 3rd, 2017 at 10:58am CST by Zachary Links

Here’s the latest draft news:

Ohio State safety Malik Hooker announced that he is leaving school to enter the 2017 draft. Hooker, a redshirt sophomore, had seven interceptions and returned three of those picks for touchdowns. Scouts are high on him, but he has only one year of starting under his belt. Hooker is widely projected to be a first-round pick.
Washington wide receiver John Ross III is skipping his senior year and entering the draft, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Despite two knee surgeries which cost him the 2015 season, Ross has maintained his blazing speed and figures to be one of the first receivers to come off the board this spring. This year, he hauled in 81 receptions for 1,150 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes II is going pro and he has signed with an agent, Alex Marvez of The Sporting News tweets. Mahomes has gaudy numbers, but he comes with a few asterisks. For starters, the Texas Tech offense tends to lend itself to inflated totals. Secondly, Mahomes has been battling shoulder issues for the last year and he recently had wrist surgery. Right now, the consensus seems to be that Mahomes’ draft stock is a tier below fellow QBs like Mitch Trubisky, DeShone Kizer, and Deshaun Watson.
The 2017 draft order has been set for about two-thirds of the NFL.