Mahomes' agent feels they need to focus on wowing handful of NFL teams

Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes made things official on Tuesday morning, declaring for the NFL Draft and passing up on his senior season as a Red Raider.

With that decision comes a number of items on a check list to prepare for the next level, including signing an agent. Mahomes and his family zeroed in on and ultimately chose Leigh Steinberg, whose current clientele includes Denver Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch and at one point represented quarterbacks such as Troy Aikman, Steve Young, and Drew Bledsoe.

Steinberg was in attendance for Mahomes' announcement, where the now former Tech QB let it be known that he'd received a second round grade back from the NFL and had heard through the grapevine that he could go anywhere from the first to third round.

That's info that Mahomes' new agent believes is on the money, and he has faith the QB can thrive at the next level.

"He got very accurate feedback as to where he might be. But look, this is a quarterback centric game, and the ability to have a franchise quarterback that the team can rely on that can take a team through the playoffs is the key to winning football today, so teams are looking, and there will certainly be a number of teams that are looking for someone, so there will be competition, but he's a very special talent, very special person. I think he'll flourish."

The saying is that it only takes one team, and that certainly seems to be the approach that Steinberg and his agency will be taking with Mahomes. Once a few teams make it known that they're big fans of the Whitehouse native and his talents, then it's time to strike while the iron is hot.

"I think the way to look at this is that we need a couple of teams to fall in love with him and think he's the guy, and the other 30 could care less. This is about individual teams focusing on a player, and when they do, it doesn't matter what the other 29 teams do. And as you've seen, there's dynamic movement in terms of giving up a load of draft picks and everything else to secure this position. A team that doesn't have a franchise quarterback will flounder forever, and teams that have them will find a fast way in. Patrick has all the character, athletic abilities, an arm like a Howitzer cannon. I think he will be superb at this, but it's individual teams."

And the agent makes no bones about it: He thinks the Tech signal caller has a chance to really wow some of those teams looking for a franchise quarterback.

"I think he's going to be the kind of player that someone wants to turn their team over to," said Steinberg. "He certainly has the strongest arm in the draft. It would be hard to have a stronger arm. He's got scrambling ability. The custom now is to play quarterbacks pretty quickly if they get drafted high. I think he will get drafted high by the time things are said and done. It's a big quarterback class, but he's got real talent in so many different ways, and I think when people meet with him, which they will, they'll be very comfortable turning the franchise over to him."

Now comes the preparation for the audition. Mahomes will head out to Cali to train for the NFL Combine at EXOS San Diego at SKLZ Headquarters, where more than 30 of the top NFL prospects train for the draft on a yearly basis.

There, Mahomes can really focus in on pro style fundamentals and terminology that he'll need to be successful in the NFL.

"What he's going to do now is go train. He's going to focus on three, five, seven step drop, coming out under center, pro set terminology so by the time he gets to the combine he ought to be much more conversant and look good. Then, as I said, the action comes back here to pro scouting day."