Tyreek Hill Thought Patrick Mahomes ‘Was Trash’ When The Chiefs Drafted Him
It looks like the Kansas City Chiefs made the right decision selecting Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 NFL draft. Mahomes has quickly transcended into one of the top players in the league. In three and a half seasons, Mahomes has already accomplished a lot.
He has a Super Bowl title, Super Bowl MVP, and NFL MVP already under his belt. Once Mahomes got his opportunity to shine, he took full advantage of it. Tyreek Hill, one of Mahomes’ top targets, was not high on Mahomes at first. But that definitely changed over time.
Patrick Mahomes quickly became a superstar in the NFL
Mahomes did not waste any time making a name for himself in the NFL. During his rookie season, he served as Alex Smith’s backup for the 2017 season. In the final game of the regular season, the Chiefs were already playoff-bound and decided to bench Smith and let Mahomes start against the Denver Broncos. Mahomes played most of the game and helped lead the Chiefs to a 27-24 victory. He finished the game completing 22 of 35 passes for 284 yards with an interception.
After the 2017 season, the Mahomes era began. In January of 2018, the Chiefs traded Smith to the Washington Redskins (now The Washington Football Team), making Mahomes the new starting quarterback. Mahomes became an NFL star during the 2018 season. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week in the first week of the season when he led the Chiefs to a victory over the LA Chargers. He threw for 256 yards and four touchdowns in the win. Mahomes continued to dominate throughout the season. At the end of the season, he led the league in touchdowns with 50 and set a Chiefs’ record for most touchdown passes. He was named Offensive Player of the Year and MVP for the 2018 season.
What does Mahomes do the next season? Oh, he just led the Chiefs to their second Super Bowl in franchise history and became the youngest quarterback to earn Super Bowl MVP. Mahomes has already won on the biggest stage and has received the top individual award in football. He’s not done yet. The 25-year-old has a lot more seasons left, which means he will continue to dominate on the field.
Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill have become the ultimate duo
Mahomes and Hill have not played together for long, but the two have done damage together on the field. In 2018, Hill had one of his best seasons as a receiver, thanks largely to Mahomes. Mahomes threw for 5,097 yards, and Hill accounted for 1,479 of those yards. Hill also had 12 receiving touchdowns that season.
This season, Mahomes and Hill have been on a tear. Through 11 games, Hill has a career-high 13 touchdowns with 1,021 receiving yards. Hill’s 13 touchdowns lead the league, and he is second in receiving yards.
There’s no question that Hill has been Mahomes’ go-to receiver this year, and the two have teamed up to make some big plays throughout the season. Both players will play a big part for the Chiefs going into the postseason.
Hill did not think Mahomes was good at first
Before Mahomes and Hill became an explosive duo, Hill was not too fond of Mahomes at first. Hill recently appeared on Showtime’s Inside the NFL and made it known that he did not think Mahomes had what it took to be successful in the league.
“I thought he was trash,” Hill said, “I ain’t gonna cap. I ain’t gonna cap. I ain’t even gonna cap, man. When he first got there I was like, this is who y’all drafted right here? This is who y’all drafted? Hey but look, he proved me into a whole complete, I don’t know. That second year, like his quarterback mechanics were different. It was like he was spending more time with his quarterback coach, spending more time with Coach Reid, like learning the offense. Dude was like different.”
Hill was not ashamed to say how he originally felt about Mahomes and now look at them. They’re Super Bowl champions and are two top players in the league.
Stats Courtesy of Pro Football Reference
