Kansas City Chiefs: Top five draft picks of the last decade

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Quarterback Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /

Mahomes, of course, broke through in 2018, winning the league’s MVP award.

He also became just the second quarterback ever (after Peyton Manning) to throw at least 50 touchdown passes and throw for over 5,000 yards in the same season. Along the way, the Chiefs hosted their first ever conference championship game.

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That happened despite the team’s defense, which ranked 24th in points allowed and 31st in yards allowed. Naturally, with Mahomes leading the way, Chiefs offense ranked first in yards and first in scoring.

Here’s the main thing with drafting a superstar quarterback: with one of those at hand, a team can always compete, can always fight to the end. It doesn’t matter how bad the defense is. With an offense led by a tantalizing talent at the most valuable position in all of sports, a team with a truly elite quarterback (sorry, Flacco) can compete in game after game, season after season.

Now that the Chiefs have one, it’s up to Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach not to squander this opportunity. They did the hard, stomach-churning thing in trading up to take Mahomes and jettisoning a Pro-Bowl talent in Smith. They were rewarded with an incredible 2018 season, but it ended the way every season with Smith ended: without the Lombardi Trophy.

Next. Ranking Every Mahomes Start in 2018. dark

To get that coveted hardware, the Chiefs must now build a capable defense.

But that first part, the hard part, the part that eluded the Chiefs since Joe Montana’s twilight years, is finally done.

Back to my question, then: why fix what isn’t broken when you can fix what is broken? Turns out, the answer to that is simple enough: when there’s a franchise quarterback available.

When you can draft Patrick Mahomes II.

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