The star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are a perfect match made in heaven. If anyone could have seen into the future and knew how great he would become, Patrick Mahomes would’ve been the top pick in the 2017 NFL draft. Surprisingly, nine NFL teams overlooked him before the Chiefs’ led by Andy Reid drafted him without a second thought as the 10th overall pick and the rest is history.
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Among the nine teams that passed on Patrick Mahomes in the NFL draft was the San Francisco 49ers. Since then they have faced defeat twice in the Super Bowl against Mahomes. What’s interesting is that before the 2017 season began, the Niners were already searching for a quarterback to lead them long-term.
A wild course of events: In 2017, the Niners (who had the 2nd pick) didn’t do any homework on then Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomes because they thought they would be able to sign Kirk Cousins, per @AdamSchefter on @PFTCommenter
The 49ers ended up instead trading for Jimmy… pic.twitter.com/04d24hCX0L
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) March 1, 2024
Even with the 2nd pick in the 2017 NFL draft, the San Francisco 49ers missed out on the now three-time Super Bowl champion, Patrick Mahomes. Instead, they traded picks to the Bears, who were also in need of a quarterback, and ended up selecting Mitchell Trubisky at No. 2. Meanwhile, the 49ers chose defensive end Solomon Thomas as the third overall pick.
In the 2017 draft, it appears that San Francisco wasn’t really hunting for a quarterback. Instead, they were busy trying to sign Kirk Cousins and may have overlooked Mahomes. However, things didn’t go as planned, as Cousins ended up playing another season with the Washington Commanders after signing a one-year, $35 million contract with them.
The 49ers, on the other hand, traded for QB Jimmy Garoppolo from the Patriots. They also moved up in the 2017 Draft to pick former Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard as the 104th overall pick in the third round.
Although Garoppolo initially struggled, playing just nine games in his first two seasons, he eventually led the Niners to the 2020 Super Bowl, where they suffered a heartbreaking loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. After the 2022 season, San Francisco released Jimmy G, who then signed a 3-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Did the 2017 NFL Draft Set the Stage for Brock Purdy’s Arrival in San Fran?
Sometimes, they say everything happens for a reason. Despite being late to find their star QB, the San Francisco 49ers eventually struck gold in the 2022 NFL draft. Interestingly, it was because of the 2017 NFL draft that they were able to acquire their current star QB, Brock Purdy.
This is wild.
Adam Schefter explains The domino effect that happened in 2017 for the 49ers to draft Brock Purdy in 2022@rhoback pic.twitter.com/a8GPsJ6IPT
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) March 1, 2024
So, the 49ers traded picks to draft QB CJ Beathard, who played for them from 2017 to 2020. When Beathard moved to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021, the 49ers received a compensatory seventh-round draft pick. With that pick, they selected Brock Purdy, who also became the last overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft.
Brock Purdy has quickly become known as one of the top quarterbacks. In just two seasons, he led his team to two NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl. However, even with his talent, Purdy couldn’t overcome Patrick Mahomes, who defeated him in his first Super Bowl.
If only the Niners had thought to draft Mahomes earlier, they might have been even stronger, possibly winning their sixth Super Bowl by now. The big question still remains – Can the 49ers ever defeat Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl?
