Patrick Mahomes extension: How did teams pass on him in 2017?

Seventh overall: Los Angeles Chargers

The former San Diego team had just finished their final year there and were officially returning to Los Angeles for the 2017 season and beyond. With star quarterback Phillip Rivers on the team still performing sufficiently, it made sense for the Chargers to ignore the quarterback position in some ways. But considering the talent Mahomes possesses, ignoring his selection as heir to the starting quarterback job is brutal.

Instead, the Chargers were hungry for an electric playmaker to be the first pick of their newly minted LA return. Keenan Allen was their surefire weapon, so adding Mike Williams, the big target out of Clemson, seemed to make sense. He’s just eclipsed 1000 yards for the first time in 2019 and boasted an astounding 20.4 yards per catch average. While he’s played admirable ball during his tenure there, Williams is a far cry from what Mahomes is. The Chargers may be one of the teams not kicking themselves as much as the previous teams.

Eighth overall: Carolina Panthers

Here’s another team that may not be as hurt to have lost out on the Patrick Mahomes sweepstakes. The Carolina Panthers still had a talented quarterback in Cam Newton after they finished a rather down season in 2016. Heading into 2017, the focus for then coach Ron Rivera was to add playmakers around Newton so he didn’t have to shoulder the offense by himself. Christian McCaffrey has been just that for the Panthers too.

A true playmaker, McCaffrey has been a swiss army knife of a player. He’s eclipsed a 1000 total yards from scrimmage every year of his career, with last season being his best by far. McCaffrey finished with 2392 yards from scrimmage, and notched a 1000 yards rushing and receiving. He finished first-team All-Pro. After signing his own extension this off-season, he’s proving to be a fantastic pick. Still, he’s a running back, and to ignore the value that Patrick Mahomes brings was logical because of Newton, but questionable due to his position.

Ninth overall: Cincinnati Bengals

Little has to be said about this selection. The Cincinnati Bengals were the final team to pass on Patrick Mahomes.

At the time, they were still believing in Andy Dalton and also wanted to supply him with weapons. Instead, however, they fell in love with measurables and over drafted the record holder for the NFL Combine forty yard dash. John Ross has blazing speed, so there was hope he’d form a potent triple threat with AJ Green and Tyler Boyd. But Ross has done anything but.

In 19 total starts, he’s amassed only 716 receiving yards to 10 touchdowns. Much of this can be blamed on his extensive injury history. He missed all of 2015 in college, had shoulder surgery before being drafted in 2017, then lost his most of his rookie year to a lingering knee issue. Even worse, he almost broke out this season but suffered through a potential life-threatening injury. It’s safe to say that Mahomes value in Cincy could have replaced Andy Dalton sooner, who is now in Dallas.