ESPN’s latest survey of 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players places Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes among the elite tier of quarterbacks in the NFL.
Only back-to-back NFL MVP and Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers received a higher ranking than Mahomes. Voters provided a list of their 10 best players at the QB position, with ESPN ranking candidates based on the number of top-10 votes, composite average, interviews and film analysis from ESPN’s Matt Bowen. This is the second consecutive year that Mahomes has been ranked as the No. 2 quarterback in the league.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Mahomes fell into the top-5 of this ranking by “a wide voting margin.” The primary concern with Mahomes heading into the 2022 NFL season seems to be centered around the team trading Tyreek Hill, but NFL executives don’t seem to be too concerned at all.
“I’m not worried about Patrick,” an NFC exec told Fowler. “He’s proven himself. When you have an elite quarterback, you can lose pieces around you and still make it work. [Hill] is just a receiver.”
I’m not sure that I’d be so bold as to classify Hill as “just a receiver.” That said, it appears that those around the league feel like Mahomes has already proven himself and earned the benefit of the doubt. One executive seemed most impressed with the way that he’s adapted and changed his game to become more patient throughout his four seasons as a starter.
“He’s had to evolve in that way, and I think long term it will be good for him,” a different NFC exec told Fowler. “There did appear to be a hangover from the Super Bowl, and [the Buccaneers] showed you can get pressure on [the Chiefs] and make things difficult for him, make him scramble around and cover the deep ball. He doesn’t always want to check it down. But he’s good enough to overcome all of that and just has a special ability to make plays.”
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