Our own Aaron Erickson has been big on Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes and NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock is starting to agree.
Mahomes' climb is starting now. Expect to see improved mechanics/footwork in Indy that gets better on Pro Day. Will win interviews. #49wz
— Aaron Erickson (@EricksonAaron44) February 27, 2017
"There's a lot of conversations about Patrick Mahomes from Texas Tech," Mayock said on Monday. "He's different. He's a gunslinger. He's got an innate feel for the game. The more I look at him, the more I'm kind of pushing him higher and closer to that first-round conversation with [Notre Dame's DeShone] Kizer, [Clemson's Deshaun] Watson, and [North Carolina's Mitch] Trubisky.
"So I think Mahomes is picking up steam in NFL circles. I think you can get [Cal's Davis] Webb perhaps in the third round. Then I think [Miami's Brad] Kaaya and [Tennessee's Josh] Dobbs are the guys as far as developmental guys if you're not going to try and trade for a quarterback like a [Patriots' Jimmy] Garoppolo or a [Cowboys' Tony] Romo."
Mike Mayock: Patrick Mahomes pushing closer to Round 1 conversation
Mahomes, the 2016 Sammy Baugh Trophy winner, set an NCAA record for total yards in a game with 819 yards against Oklahoma on October 22. He also tied an NCAA record with 734 passing yards in that game. Mahomes and Texas Tech ended up losing the game 66-59. He had five passing touchdowns and another two rushing in the loss.
In 2016, Mahomes completed 65.7-percent of his passes for 5,052 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. The year before, he completed 63.5-percent of his passes for 4,653 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.
Mayock recently ranked Mahomes as the fourth-best quarterback on his big board. Mayock called Mahomes a "wildcard" in the 2017 NFL Draft. "Out of everybody I've watched so far in this draft, he's probably the most fun guy to watch on tape," Mayock said. "He's really intriguing."
Kevin Jones of KNBR recently took a look at Mahomes as a quarterback for Kyle Shanahan's offense. "There's only one consensus elite arm talent in the 2017 NFL Draft, and that's Mahomes," Jones wrote. "The strapping 6-foot-3, 220 pounder has a rocket launcher attached to his right arm."
