NFL scouting is not an exact science. Teams and NFL Draft Experts get things wrong every year, and fans don’t realize it until a re-draft comes out a few years down the line. The 2017 NFL Draft was no different. Myles Garrett was the first overall pick, Mitch Trubisky was second, and Patrick Mahomes was tenth. Garrett will be in the Hall of Fame, but everyone can agree that Mahomes should have been the first pick.
NFL Network’s Draft Expert Daniel Jeremiah discussed what he learned from evaluating Mahomes on a recent “Up & Adams” episode.
What Did Daniel Jeremiah Learn From Patrick Mahomes?
Jeremiah wasn’t the only one who missed on Mahomes. The two-time MVP was seen as the second-best quarterback in the 2017 class, according to long-time ESPN Draft Expert Mel Kiper, and nine teams passed on the Texas Tech product before the Kansas City Chiefs made the selection.
Mahomes had all the natural talent, but his college record made teams hesitate and think he was a product of Kliff Kingsbury’s offensive system. He threw for 5,052 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in his final college season, but decision-makers were unsure he’d be able to do that against NFL defenses.
Jeremiah also wasn’t sure, and he described what he learned from Mahomes with Kay Adams.
Patrick Mahomes taught Daniel Jeremiah a valuable lesson on how to scout talent in the NFL Draft. @heykayadams | @MoveTheSticks pic.twitter.com/PFRCLFlwU5
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) April 7, 2025
Adams asked who Jeremiah’s biggest miss was as an evaluator, he responded, “Patrick Mahomes is about as bad as it gets. He was a legit boom or bust. That was the greatest imagination of what the boom could look like. He’s like 10 levels above that. I really do look at that stuff as opportunities to like, what can you learn, and take that lesson that you learned onto the next.”
Adams then asked what was the lesson Jeremiah learned from Mahomes, he said, “It was very clear. This guy had the raw talent, and then on top of that, the two things. He had the work ethic and the intelligence.
“So, that’s I was like, maybe the picture’s not all colored in on some of these guys, but if they have those three things. They have the raw talent, everything you find out about them is they have an insatiable desire to be great, and then you find out on top of that the guy’s brilliant. Those guys don’t fail.”
Mahomes has gone on to win three Super Bowls, three Super Bowl MVP Awards, two NFL MVP Awards, an Offensive Player of the Year, and has been first-team All-Pro twice. It’s safe to say that he hasn’t failed in the NFL.
The clip ends with a question about Mahomes fitting in no matter where he ended up, given how Jeremiah described him. He responded, “I think it was perfect fit for him. To hit his stride earlier.
“I think he would have eventually figured it out no matter where he would have gone, and it would have taken teams a while to put all the necessary pieces around him, but maybe wouldn’t have had the level of team success he’s had cause you are still dependent at that position with the other things in place, but he would have been really good.”
Kansas City selecting Mahomes at No. 10 might be the greatest value pick in NFL Draft history. That’s hard to say for a first-round pick, but the team hasn’t lost earlier than the AFC Championship Game since Mahomes became the starter in 2018.