“Either Deshaun Watson or Patrick Mahomes”: NFC Team Exec Reveals They Nearly Drafted Chiefs Star QB

There is no debate that Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, is the top overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. When it comes to the NFL, there are so many fantastic “what ifs,” but Bruce Arians’ most recent scenario would have irrevocably changed the game.

If three of the previous five Super Bowls had been different, the league would have undergone a major transformation. In another reality, Patrick Mahomes would have been chosen by Bruce Arians and the Cardinals in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Chiefs, though, got there first in this world.

Patrick Mahomes
Image Credits – SI

One NFC team, it seems, was prepared to select Patrick Mahomes if he had dropped a little farther down the selection board. The Arizona Cardinals were the club selected with the 13th overall pick.

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Former Arizona Cardinals coach reveals they were about to draft Patrick Mahomes

Bruce Arians was asked which quarterback in today’s game he would most want to coach during an interview on the Pardon My Take podcast. The query brought up memories of a time when he and the Cardinals came close to winning the big one.

“Oh, I thought for sure when we were in Arizona we were getting Patrick Mahomes,” Arians said on the Pardon My Take podcast.

“As that draft was falling, I was like ‘He’s ours, it’s either him or Deshaun (Watson).’ But Pat, he’s right there — Kansas City doesn’t need a quarterback. They take him, and [I was like] ‘What? They got Alex Smith, [he] just went to the Pro Bowl!”

It’s simple to forget today, but when the Chiefs selected Mahomes, it shocked everyone. The Cardinals had the No. 13 selection, but Watson went to the Texans at No. 12 and Mahomes to the Chiefs at No. 10, respectively.

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Haason Reddick, a linebacker who played with the organization for just three seasons, was chosen by Arizona instead. In the same time frame, Patrick Mahomes has won the league MVP award, won the Super Bowl and been named MVP, appeared in two Super Bowls, and had four appearances in the Pro Bowl.

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