NFL players rank Patrick Mahomes as league’s fourth-best player for 2019

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Mahomes debuts at the highest Top 100 ranking in franchise history

In what was probably the most anti-climactic reveal for Kansas City Chiefs fans this summer, quarterback Patrick Mahomes made it into the top five of the NFL Top 100 for 2019.

Here’s that Mahomes guy we’ve been talking about. Mahomes blew past any expectations the league had for him during his debut season -- 50 touchdowns, 5,097 yards and an MVP trophy. He established himself as a top quarterback in the NFL. No other quarterback in the league can make the no-look, on the run passes that Mahomes makes -- especially during a game. In those ways, he’s changing the way people look at the quarterback position. Mahomes can get out of the pocket and run if he needs to, but he has exceptional pocket awareness and rarely runs when he doesn’t have to. At just 23 years old, Showtime has all the tools to be the best quarterback in football for a long, long time.

Mahomes made his NFL Top 100 debut in fourth place — the second-highest ranked quarterback behind Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints — after only his first season as a starter.

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald topped this year’s list, followed by Brees in second place and Chicago Bears linebacker Khalil Mack in third. Rams running back Todd Gurley rounded out the top five.

Mahomes led the Chiefs to their third straight AFC West title and a long-awaited home playoff win by throwing for over 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns, which set franchise single-season records in both categories.

It’s clear Mahomes’ play has earned him the respect of his peers — as evidenced by his placement in the Top 100 — but was there an argument for Mahomes to be number one?

He was voted ahead of last year’s number one — New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (number six this year) — and was named as the NFL’s Most Valuable Player over Brees, this year’s number two.

Mahomes had more yards, more touchdowns thrown and had a higher QBR and passer rating than Brees in 2018. He hasn’t had the success in the playoffs the former Super Bowl MVP has had in the past, but he did gain more yards and achieve a higher passer rating and QBR than Brees did during the postseason.

It is hard to imagine that a player would even be ranked in the top five after his first year as a starter to begin with, so there isn’t much reason to complain about Mahomes’ ranking. But after another year like the one he just had, NFL players would be hard pressed not to surrender that number one spot to Patrick “Showtime” Mahomes.

Chiefs in the NFL Top 100

Rank	Player
4	Patrick Mahomes, QB
19	Tyreek Hill, WR
21	Travis Kelce, TE
36	Chris Jones, DE
85	Frank Clark, DE
94	Mitchell Schwartz, RT

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