Browns coach Hue Jackson used 120 words combined in two answers about Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes this week. He uttered “talent” or “talented” three times.
Mahomes showed off his phenomenal arm but also reminded NFL talent evaluators his mechanics and footwork are still a work in progress Friday during Texas Tech’s pro day. He took snaps from under center after operating almost exclusively out of the shotgun in Tech’s Air Raid offense.
“The big-arm throws that most quarterbacks don’t like to make — 20-yard comeback, cover-two throw in between the corner and the safety — he threw both of those beautifully,” draft analyst Mike Mayock said during NFL Network’s coverage of the pro day. “The deep, outbreaking routes where you really got to drive it, he was outstanding. Now, some of the throws he struggled with, I thought he was more concerned about his new footwork and mechanics and forgot to drive the football.
“I saw a kid that showed really good touch, good accuracy. I know he has a big arm, but really I don’t think there is much of a negative to this kid, although what is the best-case scenario? Best-case scenario is he plays behind a quality starter for a year or two, a veteran — New Orleans, Arizona, one of those situations. At the end of the day, I think he’s a thrower, not a passer.”
The son of a former MLB pitcher with the same name, Mahomes played baseball for most of his life and didn’t focus solely on football until last year.
So even though he has tremendous arm strength, he’s been working hard with private quarterbacks coach Mike Sheppard to marry it with fine-tuned mechanics and footwork.
Mahomes said Mayock’s assessment that he forgot to drive the ball at times during the workout was “definitely true.” According to Texas Tech, Mahomes ended the session with a Hail Mary that traveled nearly 80 yards to the north end zone of Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.
“The comebacks and the cover-two spot throws, I really try to drill those, really try to get those balls there, and you can see sometimes I’m trying to get those mechanics,” Mahomes said in an interview with Mayock on NFL Network. “I’m still working on it, and you forget to throw it sometimes. You forget to finish your throw. As I keep going, keep getting more repetition, I’ll get better and better at it.”
One of the NFL’s 32 teams will draft Mahomes in the first or second round April 27 or 28 because of his raw skills and the belief he’ll develop into something special.
Represented by their scouting department, the Browns were among 28 teams at Tech’s pro day. They could consider Mahomes with their second first-round pick (No. 12 overall) or the first selection of the second round (No. 33 overall).
Jackson and head of football operations Sashi Brown didn’t attend the pro day, but it would have been shocking if they had.
For one, North Carolina quarterback and Mentor native Mitchell Trubisky worked out at Browns headquarters Friday as part of their local prospect day. The Browns also hosted some Ohio State players on pre-draft visits, cornerback Gareon Conley, a Massillon High School graduate, and safety Malik Hooker.
More importantly, Jackson and Brown have been skipping quarterback pro days and instead focusing on private workouts like the one Trubisky had Friday. They had previously worked out Mahomes.
“He’s another one of these young players in the draft who’s very talented,” Jackson said Tuesday during the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix. “Has a big arm as we all know. I think he’s tough. But again, he’s just another guy that we’re going to continue to look at like all the other guys and see how they all stack up. But he has talent.”
Jackson was asked whether Mahomes often being described as a gunslinger bothers him.
“Well, I think you have to look at it,” Jackson said. “I think people love to use a lot of different words to describe players. I think you have to just kind of go watch. I think a lot of that comes from the [Air Raid] system that he plays in more so than anything, but I think people call him that because he has so much arm talent.”
Trubisky, the quarterback who received the most attention from the Browns on Friday, certainly possesses talent as well, and there are signs he is Jackson’s favorite quarterback prospect.
But Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians, a bona fide quarterback whisperer, cautioned people comparing Trubisky to Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers.
“That’s a hell of a scout. I don’t know how you can compare those two,” Arians, a former Browns offensive coordinator, said Wednesday at the owners meetings. “When Aaron was coming out, he was in a totally different offense.
“Mitch probably has a stronger arm coming out than Aaron did. But to say anybody reminds you of somebody, to me it’s just physically, stature-wise or just arm-strength wise. I wouldn’t put that much pressure on a guy to say he’s Aaron Rodgers.”
Trubisky has only 13 starts on his resume after ascending to the top of North Carolina’s depth chart last year.
“A really talented player,” Arians said. “The growth potential is obviously there. The question is why wasn’t all that talent starting for the last three years. That’s always bugging me. So you have to go and answer those questions with him, with his coach, but the physical talent is there.”
Arians said he thinks just one quarterback in this year’s class is ready to start as a rookie.
“I think all the rest there are some really talented arms that need a year of learning how to play the position, especially at this level,” Arians said.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.