ARM DOESN’T OVERCOME RAWNESS
There is no doubt the most tantalizing part of Mahomes’ arsenal is his right arm. It’s an absolute cannon. When he throws it looks calm and almost effortless. Yet the ball is rocketing to the directed spot in a hurry. He can make any throw in the playbook at the NFL level. Something coaches loves having at their disposal. That being said, draft history shows that simply having a gun doesn’t make up for lack of development elsewhere.
A couple of examples that people should remember? Derek Carr of the Oakland Raiders and Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre. The general belief surrounding Carr was he had athleticism as could rip that football loose but he was coming from a smaller school (Fresno State) and played in a simple, spread offense with few pro tendencies. Thus he went in the second round. Favre played in a pure vertical throwing offense at Southern Mississippi. There were no pro element at all. He lasted until the second as well.
Mahomes is in the exact same situation as those two. Great charisma and intangibles, outstanding individual talent but far from being ready for the NFL level. He made his living in a spread offense at Texas Tech and the fact he plays with so little polish or discipline will give most teams pause about using a first round pick on him.
