5. Patrick Mahomes: The first half of this is in the books. Now, it’s time for the top five! This next player has become the face of the NFL in a short period. He’s a true superstar. Whenever I think of a superstar, I think of knowing who that player is even if you don’t watch that sport, but you know who they are, even off their playing surface. Let’s go back to Kansas City now. For the fourth consecutive season, Patrick Mahomes is featured on my annual project. He checks in as my fifth-best player in the league and my second-ranked quarterback in the NFL right now.
It’s crazy to watch him do the things he does yearly. He’s been a starting quarterback since 2018 and I’m still amazed at what he’s able to do on the field because I’ve seen nothing like it. When Patrick throws the ball, he does it with a flick of the wrist. If there’s anyone in the league that plays the quarterback position with a backyard mentality, its number 15 hands down. He may not play the typical style of quarterbacking everyone is accustomed too, but what he does works. It’s the throws Patrick makes across his body and off his back foot that wow his peers. The no look passes are one thing. He has some of the best vision I’ve seen from a quarterback in quite some time. Patrick can also make those crazy, acrobatic throws and the wild thing is he can complete those passes. He’s so challenging to prepare for because you never know what he’s going to do. You can elect to keep him in the pocket and not apply pressure. He’s going to pick you apart. The most impressive thing about his game is how he makes difficult passes look so easy. I say this because he completes those passes in different shapes, arm angles, and sizes. The clutch factor is also something to watch because he can get his team down the field in a hurry. He’s become one of those quarterbacks you never want to give too much time to.
He leads and the Chiefs follow him. His leadership has impressed me the last few seasons. Patrick does a great job of rallying the troops. Last season was a different one for the Chiefs because they didn’t get off to that strong start many expected of them. The Chiefs struggled early on, then rattled off eight wins in a row. I saw Patrick mature as a passer because he did a much better job at taking what defenses gave him. Since becoming a starter, he’s been to four consecutive AFC title games.
