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Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill are one of the most dominant connections in the NFL in 2020, and Mahomes is likely to ride that to his second MVP award. Mahomes has thrown for a league-leading 3,497 yards and Hill is second in the league with 1,021 receiving yards. The two playmakers are a key reason the Kansas City Chiefs are 10-1 and favorites to win Super Bowl 55.
But the connection was not always there. In the 2017 NFL Draft, the Chiefs surprised a lot of people by moving up to the 10th overall pick and selecting Mahomes. They had Alex Smith at quarterback and were coming off a second straight playoff berth. They had solid playmakers but clearly were looking to the future at the quarterback position.
The year prior the Chiefs spent a fifth round pick on Hill, and he paid immediate dividends. He was an All Pro punt returner and quickly emerged as a receiving threat. He wasn’t a veteran yet, but he had his opinions, and recently on Inside The NFL, he was brutally honest about his first thoughts on Mahomes at 2017 training camp.
.@cheetah admits he thought @PatrickMahomes was the first time he saw him play in @chiefs training camp
— Inside the NFL (@insidetheNFL) December 1, 2020
Watch more on #InsideTheNFL tonight 9PM ET on @Showtime. pic.twitter.com/zANvpXFM5x
Mahomes had his detractors, and apparently Hill was one of them initially! But as Hill pointed out, Mahomes took big steps forward and as the undisputed started in 2018, he took home MVP honors and helped guide the Chiefs to the AFC Championship Game. A year later they won the Super Bowl, and a year after that he’s at the top of his game.
Mahomes had his own thoughts about Hill’s comments. It’s a lot easier for all this honesty when things are going really well!
@cheetah https://t.co/5Y3G76bdPh pic.twitter.com/jy5SJOd4iO
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) December 2, 2020