Mahomes Still Ranks Among Best In This Quarterbacks List

The health issues of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes may be a mystery, but he’s still regarded as elite by scouts, evaluators and NFL personnel executives. That became very clear in the latest round of positional rankings from Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, who had Mahomes ranked second in his annual list of the top ten quarterbacks in the league. 

Start with the all-time stats Fowler used, which tell a story of ongoing brilliamce. The quarterback’s 267 touchdown passes tie for second all-time for a quarterback's first nine seasons, trailing Peyton Manning (275). Mahomes is also third in passing yards (35,939) for any nine-year start. 

"He still puts fear in people like no other quarterback -- gives you a shot in every game," an NFL quarterbacks coach said. "His skill set combined with his will to win puts him at the top."

Mahomes ceded the top spot to Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, but another executive pointed out that the Chiefs’ underwhelming supporting cast has helped obscure Mahomes’ greatness. The Chiefs still have some work to do there, too, as their receiving room currently gets the same kind of rating.

There was counterpoint and criticism, however. 

"I think the hits were taking the toll even before the injury," an NFL coordinator said. "He's not the biggest guy. He's such a stud, but the violent hits he's taken, the big-time shots, are a thing."

Another source chimed in with comments about Mahomes’ struggles last year, then quickly noted that the Chiefs would have been even more lost without Mahomes at the helm, which the Chiefs proceeded to prove down the stretch. 

"Mahomes struggled even before the injury last year -- held the ball too long and forced throws when it wasn't necessary,”said a veteran NFL defensive coordinator. “Still has a tendency to chase the big play instead of keeping the offense on schedule." But even that coach added, "If they don't have him, they win three games, tops [last year]."

The bottom line is that we’re about to get a very different test of Mahomes’ unique ability to adapt, both with games and across seasons. He’ll almost certainly have to make changes to replicate his earlier success level, especially at the beginning of the season on with his mobility limited. His ability to make whatever changes are necessary will ultimately determine where Mahomes turns up on this list going forward, and it will determine Kansas City’s fate as well.