Would Patrick Mahomes be the No. 1 overall draft pick of all time?

If there was a fantasy re-draft including every player who has ever played in the NFL, would Patrick Mahomes be the first pick? 

NFL fans are always looking for a good debate. While topics like “Jordan vs. LeBron” have a tendency to get run into the ground, the reason these debates rage on is because, on some level for some folks, they are fun to have.

A few days ago, former NFL safety Ryan Clark kicked off an interesting debate on Twitter when he asked if Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes would be the number one overall draft pick if there was a redraft of every NFL player ever.

At first glance, this seems like a pretty bold question to pose, especially since the GOAT, Tom Brady, hasn’t even retired yet.

Is Patrick Mahomes on track to be the most valuable NFL player ever?

Mahomes has made a pretty good case for himself. At just 24, he has only started two full NFL seasons. In that time, Mahomes has accomplished quite a bit. In 2018, he became just the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 50 touchdowns and 5,000 yards in a single season. He was nominated to the Pro Bowl, garnered First Team All-Pro honors and became the first Chief in history to win the NFL MVP award. Hell, he even won an ESPY. In his second season, Mahomes led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl victory in 50 years and was names Super Bowl MVP.

Mahomes is clearly off to one of, if not the most prolific and successful starts of any NFL quarterback ever. His young career, however, puts him at a bit of a disadvantage in this fantasy scenario Clark is suggesting. The fact of the matter is, given time, we know how the careers of other NFL greats have turned out. Tom Brady has led his teams to six Super Bowl Championships. While Mahomes is off to a blazingly hot start, there is no telling how the rest of his career will play out. If anyone can match or surpass Brady, it seems like Mahomes could be the one to do it but that is a long, long, long way away.

Here are some of the reactions to Clark’s tweet:

There have been so many great NFL players. Guys like Deion Sanders, Barry Sanders, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Jim Brown, Joe Montana, Bo Jackson, Jerry Rice…the list goes on and on. It looks like Mahomes is poised to join those names.

I guess it depends on how you want to evaluate the question. If we are evaluating the guys on what we know they accomplished in the NFL, the answer to the question has to be Brady. If we are basing our answer on talent and potential in an unknown future, well that complicates matters. Bo Jackson was an absolute athletic marvel. Jim Brown and Barry Sanders mush have been absolutely terrifying to play against. Mahomes can do things at the quarterback position that seem almost physically impossible and yet he makes them look easy.

It is a fascinating question. As a Chiefs fan myself, I know who I’m taking.

What about you?