National Football League

Chiefs get their first look at Patrick Mahomes on the practice field

Published May. 7, 2017 10:43 a.m. ET

Dan Graf

One of the reasons the Kansas City Chiefs felt comfortable trading up 17 spots to draft a quarterback with a raw skill set at No. 10 overall is because they have one of the best QB gurus in the game in head coach Andy Reid.

On Saturday, Reid and the rest of the Chiefs organization got the first chance to see Pat Mahomes on the field as the team’s rookies had their first minicamp practice.

Reid talked about the quarterback the Chiefs hope will eventually replace Alex Smith before Mahomes took the field for the first time and said the rookie’s learning curve will be mental more than physical.

“We know he can throw the football,” Reid told the Kansas City Star. “It’s a matter of getting in, getting the verbiage down and the formations, making sure he’s comfortable with that. It’s a good period to learn. There will be a lot of that going on.

“There’s no easy way. You’ve got to get in the playbook, then you have to stand in front of a mirror and call this stuff. You have no chance to repeat when you’re out here. So if you’re having to repeat in the mirror, you’re probably going to have a problem when you get out here.”

One thing is for certain – Reid won’t be narrowing the playbook to help him, particularly because there won’t be a rush to get him on the field as long as Smith is around.

“That’s not the way we roll. He’s got to learn. There’s only one way to learn. We’re going to give it to you ... learn it.”