Patrick Mahomes' path to becoming the best quarterback in the world wasn't always a straightforward one. The three-time Super Bowl MVP was only a three-star recruit coming out of high school, and despite the huge numbers he posted at Texas Tech in college, he fell to the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 10 in the 2017 NFL draft.
And while Mahomes' game became more polished and impressive at every level, the core of what made him great was always there. His ability to improvise, avoid pressure, and throw the ball all over the field even while he was on the run has always made him an electric gunslinger.
In an incredible throwback that all but the most ardent Mahomes haters will appreciate, that skillset was already on full display in his senior high school season. Just check out his original MaxPreps highlight reel, uploaded back in May 2014.
Patrick Mahomes' High-School Football Highlight Reel
Not only is this a cool relic of Mahomes' career history, getting to see the actual highlight reel he was using before he ever made it big, but it's incredible to see how recognizable the core aspects of his game already were at this point.
The very first play, an improvised throw out of the grasp of a defender, is instantly familiar. Or how about 31 seconds in when he eludes pressure (more than once), extends the play rolling left, can't find space to set his feet but still throws a 30-yard dart across his body to the corner of the end zone?
And of course, as Mahomes' career has progressed, more highlights from his high school career have surfaced, and the work in building out his highlight tapes has become a little more polished. Check out this one if that first reel left you craving more:
It's pretty special to be living in an era where early-career highlights like this are readily available, rather than just existing in rare glimpses of old home-video footage that the big networks can sometimes get access to.
Patrick Mahomes' High School Stats
Football
Mahomes' Junior and Senior year high school stats from Whitehouse High School in Texas, courtesy of MaxPreps:
- Games: 37
- Completions: 524
- Attempts: 913
- Completion Pct: 57.4%
- Yards: 8,458
- Yards per Attempt: 9.3
- Touchdowns: 96
- Interceptions: 15
- Rushing Yards: 1,198
- Rushing Touchdowns: 21
Baseball
Of course, we can't forget Mahomes' multi-sport potential. So what did his high school baseball stats and highlights look like? Unfortunately, his full stats aren't available anywhere, but there are plenty of anecdotes about how great he looked. How about a 16-strikeout no-hitter? Or reports of a mid-90s fastball at 17 years old (even more impressive in 2014 than it is now).
And while they're not nearly as jaw-dropping as his football highlights, take a look at Mahomes' high school baseball highlight reel too: