Patrick Mahomes’ raw NFL Combine performance resurfaces and stunned fans all say the same thing
Patrick Mahomes was there for the taking in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Nine years later, diehard football fans are still saying the same thing after footage resurfaced of the three-time Super Bowl champion’s NFL Combine performance.
Back in 2017, Mahomes was a talented but unproven quarterback out of Texas Tech.
The high school baseball player was facing a lot of pre-draft doubt, with many predicting he wouldn’t be selected until late in the first round.
Throwing touchdown after touchdown to Travis Kelce, singing Taylor Swift songs and creating an all-conquering dynasty with the Kansas City Chiefs couldn’t even be imagined.
How did Patrick Mahomes perform at NFL Combine?
It’s easy to see why some critics weren’t blown away when watching Mahomes’ combine footage — especially in a 40-yard dash that took nearly five seconds.
This year, his time was even beaten by Zane Durant — a 290lb defensive tackle out of Penn State.
In a tweet shared by the NFL’s official account, the announcers went as far joking that Mahomes’ 4.80 40-yard dash is clowned every single year.
But back in 2017, his 11,252 passing yards in college and almost 100 touchdowns were also overlooked, while some experts focused on players who would never reach the pros.
“All these scouts said, ‘Well, I don’t know… ‘” one fan tweeted, having watched resurfaced footage of Mahomes’ combine effort.
“Bust,” a second fan joked.
“Jets (general manager) Mike Maccagnan couldn’t see what was right in front of his face,” a third fan posted.
Another fan simply posted an emoji of a goat, referring to Mahomes being the greatest of all time.
Back then, Mahomes wasn’t super fast and his adult ‘dad’ bod was still finding its form.
What was written on Patrick Mahomes’ NFL Draft report?
As Mahomes ran his 40-yard dash on national TV, the name “Trevor Knight” was listed as having the fastest 40 time of the day.
Knight was athletically gifted but peaked in college and never played in the pros.
“(Mahomes has) developed some bad habits and doesn’t have a very repeatable process as a passer,” an NFL Draft report read of the future two-time NFL MVP.
“Mahomes’ ability to improvise and extend plays can lead to big plays for his offense.
“But he will have to prove he can operate with better anticipation and be willing to take what the defense gives him in order to win from the pocket.”
All these years later and Mahomes, now 30, is the face of the NFL, despite suffering a season-ending injury in KC’s rotten 2025 campaign.
He sat behind Alex Smith and watched for 15 games as a rookie at Arrowhead.
Mahomes then made his NFL Combine workout a distant memory and started taking over the league.
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“A great arm. You just saw him slinging the ball around with no effort, making completions,” said Chiefs wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, describing the rookie’s talent during the 2017 NFL preseason.
It’s obvious nine years later that many NFL teams missed on Mahomes at the Combine.
While Fernando Mendoza is this year’s top draft prospect, KC’s signal caller will surely be on a revenge tour in 2026 as the Chiefs look to bounce back from a 6-11 season.
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