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The New York Jets held a private workout with Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomes. Here are some of his thoughts about the process leading up to the draft and his transition to the next level . . .
Q)Do you feel you are the best quarterback in this class?
Patrick Mahomes: Definitely. There are a lot of guys who are really good in this class. I’m going to compete hard. I definitely think I could be. I have the talent to be.
Q)What do you tell people when they say you’re a system quarterback?
Mahomes: I just show them my knowledge for the game. That’s the only way I can prove it wrong. You look back at the system quarterback, a lot of guys didn’t work out.
So for me, it’s just going to be about proving those guys wrong, going out there and really showing my knowledge of the game and just competing. It’ll all show up when you get to the field.
Q)How much did having your dad as a former pro athlete (MLB pitcher) help you?
Mahomes: It definitely helped me, just seeing professional athletes growing up. You saw how hard they worked. When they got to the big leagues, how hard they worked to stay there. Him giving me advice as well as LaTroy Hawkins, my godfather. They really have shown me the way to be a professional athlete and that’s definitely something I feel like is an advantage for me.
Q)What were some of the things they showed you?
Mahomes: I mean, just being a pitcher, they weren’t always on call to pitch, but they’re still going up there every single day, working hard to make sure they’re ready.
They’re ready in case the worst-case scenario happens. Especially being a starter. My dad was a starter for a little while. You don’t expect to pitch, but you’ve got to be ready. You’ve got to throw your extra bullpens. You’ve got to perfect your game every single day.
Q)Did you also learn how to take criticism?
Mahomes: I feel like I’ve always been able to take criticism well. I’ve always used it as you’ve got to take that criticism and make it constructive and fix it.
You make a lot of mistakes in football, but as long as you’re learning from those, you’re improving every single day.
Q)What does it mean to you to be in this position now after choosing to stick with football full time?
Mahomes: It’s definitely one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It was something I really sold myself on to be a football player and it’s really paid off well so far. I’m nowhere near the finish. I’m just the beginning now. I have to go out there and prove I can be a professional quarterback, be an NFL quarterback.
Q)Why are you labeled a gunslinger?
Mahomes: Because I threw the ball a lot of times at Texas Tech. That’s definitely a gunslinger mentality as well as I’ve done a lot of stuff scrambling outside the pocket. But I’ve really worked on my fundamentals these last [few] months.
March 3, 2017
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