NFL MVP in 2018 and Super Bowl LIV MVP last season, Mahomes is a bona fide superstar who, unfortunately for the rest of the league, has plenty of room to get even better.
The Chiefs traded up to the 10th overall pick in 2017 to select Mahomes as their quarterback of the future.
If Mahomes continues on his current trajectory, questions will forever be asked of the nine teams that passed on the former Texas Tech signal-caller.
Here we look back on the players picked ahead of him and analyse whether those selections were at all justifiable.
- Cleveland Browns - Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
The Browns certainly will not be disappointed with the production of Garrett, who is poised for a lucrative extension of his own. Yet, with the jury still out on 2018 first overall pick Baker Mayfield, there is a strong argument Mahomes should have been the pick for Cleveland.
Key Stat: Garrett has 30.5 sacks in 37 career games, with that tally 11th in the NFL since 2017, while racking up 65 quarterback hits.
- Chicago Bears - Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
Chicago traded up one spot to select Trubisky, who has utterly failed to justify their decision. The Bears did not pick up the fifth-year option on his contract and going with Trubisky over Mahomes and Deshaun Watson is a move that will haunt the franchise for some time.
Key Stat: Trubisky’s yards per attempt average of 6.08 was 32nd and last among qualifying quarterbacks in 2019. He was 30th of 32 qualifiers in touchdown percentage (3.3).
- San Francisco 49ers - Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
Another whose fifth-year option was not picked up, the 49ers have a fearsome defense despite Thomas’ struggles. Having been thwarted by Mahomes in the Super Bowl, passing on him looks an increasingly glaring error by GM John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan, who have made few mistakes since taking over in 2017.
Key Stat: Thomas has just six sacks in three seasons and has only once posted double-digit quarterback hits, doing so in his rookie year (11).
- Jacksonville Jaguars - Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
Fournette has become a case study in the folly of drafting running backs high as he has struggled to live up to the hype his college career generated. The Jaguars had a championship defense in 2017 and they would likely not now be in rebuild mode had they selected Mahomes instead.
Key Stat: Fournette has averaged 3.95 yards per carry since 2017, putting him 33rd among qualifying running backs in that time.
- Tennessee Titans - Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
Many considered Davis a reach at the time and that argument has not been disproved. Despite a high percentage of big plays last year, he looks to be on the way out in Tennessee after the Titans declined his fifth-year option.
Key Stat: Thirty-three of Davis’ 43 receptions in 2019 went for a first down. His first down percentage of 76.7 ranked ninth among qualifying receivers.
Also Read: Patrick Mahomes’ contract breakdown
- New York Jets - Jamal Adams, S, LSU
Adams has quickly established himself as one of the premier defensive players in the NFL, but is reportedly keen to take his talents elsewhere. Sam Darnold, the third overall pick in 2018, has yet to reach his ceiling, which is unlikely to come close to that of Mahomes. Taking Adams wasn’t a mistake, yet some Jets fans are surely thinking about what might have been with Mahomes.
Key Stat: Adams leads all defensive backs in tackles for loss (28) and sacks (12) since 2017. His 25 passes defended rank seventh among all safeties since 2017.
- Los Angeles Chargers - Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
The Chargers had Philip Rivers at the time but, given his drop-off in 2019 and eventual departure this offseason, the case can be made that they should have selected Mahomes and groomed him for the future. Williams is a valuable big-play threat but possesses a skill set that lacks versatility.
Key Stat: Williams has averaged 17.1 yards per reception since 2017. Only Josh Gordon (17.4) has averaged more.
- Carolina Panthers - Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
Hindsight is 20-20 and, had the Panthers known the physical issues from which Cam Newton would suffer in 2018 and 2019 they would surely have considered Mahomes. There is a positional value debate to be had with McCaffrey, but the production is tough to argue with.
Key Stat: McCaffrey leads the NFL in scrimmage yards since 2017 with 5,443. However, his average of 5.9 scrimmage yards per touch in that time is 10th in the league, below 2017 third-round running back Alvin Kamara (6.1) and Austin Ekeler (6.9), who went undrafted that year.
- Cincinnati Bengals - John Ross, WR, Washington
The record holder for the fastest 40-yard dash (4.22 seconds) at the NFL Scouting Combine, Ross’ speed has not translated to pro success. His fifth-year option was not picked up by the Bengals, who will look for 2020 first overall pick Joe Burrow to turn things around after several lost seasons. A revival in fortunes could perhaps have come sooner had they picked Mahomes as the successor to Andy Dalton.
Key Stat: Ross did not catch a pass as a rookie. Thirty-five of his 49 receptions in the last two seasons have gone for a first down and he has caught 10 touchdowns.
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