Patrick Mahomes didn’t take over as the starting quarterback right away in the draft, even though the Kansas City Chiefs selected him with the 10th overall choice. Rather, he served as Alex Smith’s backup throughout his debut campaign.
While appearing on “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour” podcast, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach provided insight on Mahomes’ draft dynamics. Veach talked about how the Chiefs tried to ensure a seamless transition from Smith to Mahomes by carefully managing Mahomes’ entry into the NFL.
Patrick Mahomes in action vs Bills
Given that NFL systems are more complicated than college-level schemes, the Chiefs made a calculated choice to let Mahomes learn behind Smith. They wanted Mahomes to become acclimated to the nuances of NFL playcalling and tactics bit by bit.
Brett Veach speaks about Patrick Mahomes draft
Veach underlined how crucial it is to recognize the tremendous pressure and stakes Mahomes is facing and not thrust him into the spotlight unprepared. He also mentioned the possible regrets that result from missing out on other excellent players in the draft. He said,
“The one thing that coach [Andy Reid] and I believed in was bringing Pat in here and allowing him to just process defenses and coverages and tendencies and how to master the pass protection and where you’re going to shift your line and where you’re going to send your running backs to pick up different blitz package,”
After winning three championships in four Super Bowl trips, Mahomes gained recognition as one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history.
