Patrick Mahomes Shares The Former NFL Star Vital To His Growth

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes sat down with SiriusXM NFL Radio this week and had high praise for  former NFL quarterback and teammate, Alex Smith .

Mahomes specified how important Smith was to his career development after being drafted to Kansas City beginning as a backup.

"I always give this man his flowers, but I truly mean it. I still do the exact same process that he was doing that first year, and I teach it to all the new guys." Mahomes later added "It's his blueprint of how to be a successful quarterback in the NFL, which is what I picked up on."

Mahomes sat behind Smith the bulk of his rookie season. Learning, growing, improving, and understanding how to be a pro, which Smith was.

Now fast forward to today, Mahomes is a three-time Super Bowl champion, coming off back-to-back rings. He is one of the most decorated and consistent players in the game today.

This mechanism with rookie quarterbacks has become very popular. Drafting a young quarterback with immense upside and placing him behind a proven veteran for a year or so has becoming a lot more normalized.

The tactic has been used for years, but the trend has grown. We could potentially see four first-round quarterbacks not start Week 1 in September. Drake Maye , JJ McCarthy (injury), Michael Penx Jr. , and Bo Nix.

The next three weeks will tell a lot, but the Chiefs were the blueprint of how to execute it as smoothly as a franchise can. When the time came for Mahomes to take over, he was ready, and Alex Smith was a big reason why.

Related: Colorado Coach Lavishes High Praise On Travis Hunter

Related: Dan Orlovsky Unveils His Maestro Of Precision Passing In The NFL