Chiefs go for broke at QB by drafting boom-or-bust Patrick Mahomes

This time, the Kansas City Chiefs pulled off a trade to get the rawest, most talented quarterback in the first round of the NFL draft.

One year after trying (and failing) to trade up for Memphis’ Paxton Lynch, the Chiefs succeeded in landing Patrick Mahomes – the prolific gunslinger from Texas Tech who only committed full-time to football to last year.

Like Lynch, who played sparingly as a rookie with the Denver Broncos in 2016. Mahomes will have a ton to learn at the NFL level and needs time to learn it. But coach Andy Reid has developed his share of quarterbacks and general manager John Dorsey is betting a lot – including the Chiefs’ first-round pick next year – that Reid can do it again.

Alex Smith, 32, almost surely remains the starter for 2017. But the clock is ticking. He has two years and $30.3 million remaining on his contract, including $13.3 million due this year. And none of it is guaranteed.

Mahomes, 21, impressed teams with not only his elite arm, playmaking ability and knack for making throws from any platform, but his recall in classroom sessions. There are a lot of things he hasn’t done yet, but nothing about Mahomes’ makeup suggests he can’t figure it out.

Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero.

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