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NFL Draft 2017: 5 best picks of first round

By John Buhler

Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Corey Davis (Western Michigan) poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as he is selected as the number 5 overall pick to the Tennessee Titans in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Corey Davis (Western Michigan) poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as he is selected as the number 5 overall pick to the Tennessee Titans in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 10, 2016; Tempe, AZ, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Patrick Mahomes II (5) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2016; Tempe, AZ, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Patrick Mahomes II (5) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Patrick Mahomes

Quarterback, Texas Tech Red Raiders

The Kansas City Chiefs could have stayed pat and drafted an inside linebacker at No. 27, taking the conservative approach to team building. However, Chiefs general manager John Dorsey cannot deny it any longer. He needs a franchise quarterback, as incumbent Alex Smith can’t get Kansas City over the top and into a Super Bowl.

Kansas City traded up to No. 10 to draft Texas Tech Red Raiders’ Air Raid gunslinger Patrick Mahomes in a deal with the Buffalo Bills. Mahomes is the first quarterback Kansas City has taken in the top-10 since the Chiefs selected Todd Blackledge out of Penn State in the revered 1983 NFL Draft. Hopefully Mahomes’ NFL career is far superior to what Blackledge did on the NFL gridiron.

Mahomes is very much a work in progress. His right arm is about as powerful as it gets. However, he has super sloppy footwork and has played in nothing that resembles an NFL offense while at Texas Tech. For most teams that would be problematic. Fortunately, Kansas City is not one of those teams.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid use to be on Mike Holmgren’s offensive staff with the Green Bay Packers in the 1990s. Their starting quarterback back then is Mahomes’ NFL prototype: Brett Favre. Don’t expect Mahomes to see the field in 2017, but he could win the starting job over Smith as early as next year. It was a bold move for Kansas City to trade up to get him. Mahomes has superstar potential if Reid can coach him up.

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