Former Bears executive on not drafting Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes: ‘He proved me wrong’
The Chiefs asked fans on Friday to pick their favorite moment from the last time Kansas City played the Bears.
It was during the 2019 season, and the Chiefs rolled to a 26-3 victory at Soldier Field in Chicago. The fans’ top moment in the poll: quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ 251 passing yards and two touchdown throws.
However, many of the comments mentioned something else from the game. It was when Mahomes left the field and counted to 10, signifying his spot in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Mahomes, the former Texas Tech star, was picked 10th by the Chiefs but he was the second quarterback taken that year. The Chicago Bears had the third overall pick but traded up one spot and selected former North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
When the Bears face the Chiefs on Sunday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, that 2017 Draft is likely to be mentioned during the broadcast. Not that fans in Chicago want to hear more about missing out on Mahomes.
The Bears blew it and at least one member of that front office from that draft acknowledged that fact.
Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times spoke with former Bears player personnel director Josh Lucas about the team selecting Trubisky over Mahomes.
Lucas said he was one of five Bears personnel to meet with Mahomes at a Mexican restaurant in Lubbock, Texas before the draft.
“He has a nervous energy, so you kinda question, ‘How composed is this kid?’” Lucas told the Sun-Times. “‘You’re about to hand off a franchise to him in the city of Chicago.’”
That wasn’t the only potential red flag for the Bears, although their top two quarterbacks going into the draft were Trubisky and Mahomes, that story noted.
While at Tech, Mahomes had made a number of sensational throws on broken plays. The Bears weren’t sure if he could do the same thing in the NFL.
“Your jaw hits the floor when you see (Mahomes) make some of these plays,” Lucas said. “But is that realistic? That’s where I really missed. …I didn’t think the things he did off script would translate to consistent playmaking ability on our level. And he proved me wrong.”
