The Kansas City Chiefs selected Patrick Mahomes in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, putting into motion what would become the league’s modern dynasty.
As it turns out, Mahomes’ draft process could have looked a lot different had college football had name, image and likeness (NIL) regulations been in place during his career at Texas Tech.
“It would have been a good amount of money, especially for Lubbock, Texas,” Mahomes told The Kansas City Star earlier this week. “If I would have been able to get NIL, I probably would have stayed for my senior year, and who knows what the rest of my NFL history would have been?”
To Mahomes’ point, him staying in college for his senior season with the Red Raiders likely would have had a dramatic effect on the entire NFL. Presumably, he would have then entered the league in 2018 — the same year in which Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson were among the quarterbacks selected in the draft’s first round.
Mahomes staying in Lubbock an extra year would have also obviously impacted the Chiefs, who might have been inclined to stick with veteran quarterback Alex Smith for an extra year or draft a different quarterback — perhaps Deshaun Watson? — in 2017. Ultimately the future three-time Super Bowl MVP landed in Kansas City and the rest, as they say, is history.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.