Patrick Mahomes should have been a No. 1 draft pick.
That's obvious now, after Mahomes has become the new face of the NFL and led the Kansas City Chiefs to a dynasty.
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But before Mahomes was a three-time Super Bowl winner throwing touchdowns to Travis Kelce and occasionally hanging out with Taylor Swift, the son of a baseball pitcher was just a big-armed college quarterback from Texas Tech.
There was a talented QB from North Carolina who had more NFL upside, according to many draft experts.
And the Chicago Bears.
On Thursday in Detroit, the regularly rebuilding Bears are expected to make Caleb Williams the No. 1 pick of the 2024 draft.
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Back in 2017, Mitch Trubisky was a rising name on draft boards, while Mahomes was viewed as a risky pick who had inflated numbers playing in the wide open Big 12.
Chicago increasingly became infatuated with Trubisky, who didn't become a full-time starter at North Carolina until his junior year.
The Bears liked the relatively unproven Tar Heels QB so much that they traded with the San Francisco 49ers to move up in a draft that featured top prospects such as Myles Garrett, Christian McCaffrey, Marlon Humphrey, Jamal Adams, Marshon Lattimore and Deshaun Watson.
With the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft, Chicago took Trubisky.
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And Mahomes -- who eventually was taken by the Chiefs at No. 10 -- didn't forget.
Mahomes doesn't forget
In 2019, Mahomes already had an NFL MVP and Super Bowl trophy on his shelf.
Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes meets Inter Miami squad including Lionel Messi, whilst wearing Sporting Kansas City MLS shirt
When his Chiefs played the Bears in Week 16 on national TV, Kansas City easily won 26-3.
Mahomes threw for 251 yards, two touchdowns and a 112.1 rating, while Trubisky struggled, only throwing for 157 yards and posting a 65.4 rating.
The No. 10 pick in 2017 also reminded the team that took Trubisky at No. 2 about the franchise-changing draft miss.
As Mahomes bounced to the sideline, he counted on his hands for the TV cameras to see.
"I was the 10th player picked, right? The Bears had a chance," said a TV announcer, as he imagined Mahomes' inner thoughts.
“They told him they were going to draft him,” the star QB's dad, Pat Sr. told Chicago's 670 The Score in 2023. “We thought he was going to be the third pick overall and go to Chicago.
"He had a great meeting when he went there and liked all the guys that were doing the stuff there and thought he was going to be a Bear. Then once they traded up and got Mitch, it kind of hurt him. It really did. He always knew that Kansas City had told him that they were going to come up and get him. They just didn’t know how far they’d have to go. But initially, he thought he was going to be a Chicago Bear.”
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Host Danny Parkins, listening to the words, had his head in his hands and, when it had sunk in that a man who will be remembered as one of the best ever, simply said: "I'm going to be sick to my stomach."
THE GOAT
Mahomes went on to win two more Super Bowls, while Trubisky bounced from Chicago to Buffalo, Pittsburgh and back to Buffalo as a backup.
Mahomes has six Pro Bowl selections, three Super Bowl MVPs, an Offensive Player of the Year award and is 74-22 as a starter.
He recently graced the cover of Time magazine and is one of the most popular athletes in the world.
Trubisky made the Pro Bowl in 2018 but lost his starting job in Chicago two years later and is now mostly forgotten by NFL fans.
He's 31-26 as a starter and has thrown 72 touchdowns along with 48 interceptions.
Mahomes obviously should have been the No. 1 pick in a historic 2017 draft.
Or at least gone No. 2 to the Bears.
The first round for the 2024 NFL Draft is Thursday in Detroit.
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This year's class is loaded with top-tier quarterback talent, including Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy and Jayden Daniels.
But Williams is expected to the No. 1 pick and has been compared to the QB that Cincy passed on in 2017.