Cleveland Browns: Should they be wary of QB Patrick Mahomes?

The Cleveland Browns need a quarterback and Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes put up big numbers in college. But can the Browns risk taking an Air Raid quarterback?

Speculation is all over the board when it comes to the Cleveland Browns and their ongoing quarterback crisis.

Should the Browns “do whatever it takes” to work out deal with the New England Patriots for alleged franchise quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo?

Maybe the Browns should wait to see if the Buffalo Bills decide to part ways with quarterback Tyrod Taylor – who threw for more than 6,000 yards and combined for 47 touchdowns the past two years with Bills – and sign him in free agency?

Or perhaps the Browns will take a page from teams that actually made the playoffs – 10 of which this year were led by quarterbacks that they drafted – and find their next quarterback in the 2017 NFL Draft.

That course of action leads to bigger questions, of course, as the Browns would ponder a list that includes Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer.

But what if that list included Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes?

A two-year starter for the Red Raiders, Mahomes threw for more than 11,000 yards and 93 touchdowns (and adding 22 rushing touchdowns) while completing almost 64 percent of his passes.

At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Mahomes also has the size for the NFL game. According to his draft profile at NFL.com, Mahomes also has:

"… an undeniable swagger and confidence to his game. Accuracy has improved in each season since his freshman year. Comfortable challenging defenders in space. Has arm strength and fearlessness to attack the cover-2 voids down the sideline. Expedites release on RPOs (run-pass option) or when pressure is mounting in pocket. Puts effort into play-action fakes. Improved his eye manipulation over the years and will eyeball linebackers to hold them while patterns unfold around them. Has pocket mobility to escape pressure and the poise to extend plays and find alternate targets. Hands are very strong. Can pump and reset without issues. Competes as a runner and is willing to go the extra mile for the first down."

Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Well, like most things relating to the Browns, there is a problem.

Mahomes played his college ball at Texas Tech under head coach Kliff Kingsbury, a disciple of Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense. Kingsbury is among a group of coaches that includes Cal’s Sonny Dykes, Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin and West Virginia’s Dana Holgorsen who all run the offense. If you want a deep dive into the highly prolific offense, you can find a great primer at Cougcenter.com.

The bigger point, as it relates to the Browns, is that quarterbacks who come out of that offense have fared extremely poorly at the NFL level. As in, Nick Foles, who has played for three teams in his five years in the NFL, is the best of the bunch.

Here’s a list, thanks to SBNation.com, of how the Air Raid quarterbacks have fared over the years in the NFL. Buckle up, Browns fans, this may be a bit rocky for you, but here is the list along with each quarterback’s career passer rating:

Tim Couch 75.1
Brandon Weeden 76
Johnny Manziel 74.4
Kevin Kolb 78.9
Geno Smith 72.3
John Beck 67.6
Nick Foles 87.3
Josh Heupel N/A
Kliff Kingsbury 79.2
B.J. Symons N/A
Case Keenum 79.8
Dominique Davis 81.8
Graham Harrell 64.6
Jared Lorenzen 58.3
Jason White N/A
Max Hall 35.7
Nate Hybl N/A
Sonny Cumbie N/A
Taylor Potts N/A

Then there is Jared Goff, who the Los Angeles Rams made the first overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft. Goff finished the year as one of the worst rookie quarterbacks since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970.

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That is why it shouldn’t come as a surprise that one AFC scout told NFL.com that “It’s like he’s playing a different sport (in Texas Tech’s offense), so projecting him won’t be easy. Who is he going to be with a running game and better protection? That’s what you have to figure out.”

So what does the mean for the Browns, a team that is on a multi-decade search for a franchise quarterback?

We know that it drives some fans batty when we point out the historical side of personnel decisions, but the lack of success from quarterbacks in the Air Raid system needs to be a consideration. It doesn’t have to be the only factor, but the Browns better take a hard look at those other quarterbacks and try to figure out why they failed.

Mahomes is projected to be a second-round selection, but may move up draft boards in the coming weeks. If the Browns do their homework and decide that Mahomes is the best fit for what head coach Hue Jackson wants to accomplish with his offense, then they need to decide if they can wait until their second first-round pick to select him.

Next: Browns: Benefits of a free agent QB

If not, they may have to set the draft on fire and think about Mahomes as the No. 1 overall selection. That may have seemed hard to imagine a few weeks ago, but the idea that the Browns should “do whatever it takes” to acquire a quarterback they want can’t only apply to Jimmy Garoppolo.

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Should Browns be wary of QB Patrick Mahomes?

By Thomas Moore | Feb 19, 2017

The Cleveland Browns need a quarterback and Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes put up big numbers in college. But can the Browns risk taking an Air Raid quarterback?

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