Revisiting best hits from Patrick Mahomes’ pre-NFL draft cover letter: “I’m not perfect, but football isn’t always perfect”

Patrick Mahomes has been on a meteoric rise to legendary status in just six years as a starting quarterback in the NFL. He has already helped the Kansas City Chiefs win three Super Bowl rings and was named the game's MVP for all of them. Add his two NFL MVP awards to this, and he is already among the most accomplished players ever despite being just 28.

Making his dominant run even more impressive is the fact that he wasn't really an elite prospect coming out of college. He didn't receive a ton of hype leading up to the 2017 NFL Draft and wasn't even considered the best QB prospect in his draft class.

In the days leading up to the draft, Mahomes submitted an NFL draft cover letter, per The Players' Tribune. He addressed it to all NFL coaches and general managers to try and convince them that he is a strong QB prospect capable of success. And he was right.

Here are some of the highlights from his letter:

"Football is under the lights, facing the elements in front of 60,000 people. It’s keeping your guys motivated, whatever the circumstances, and having the determination to bring your team back from seemingly certain defeat in the fourth quarter. It’s doing everything you can to make a play in the redzone."

"Sometimes the play breaks down and you have to get creative. I’m not perfect. But football isn’t always perfect. It doesn’t always go the way you expect."

"Everything that critics want to knock me on, I know I can fix with hard work. I am not a project quarterback. People who say that aren’t really watching my tape. I know that I can make any throw, especially when my team needs a big play. In three years at Texas Tech, I learned a lot about leading an offense."

"So much of that has to do with earning respect in the locker room. Leaders set an example for others."

"I may make mistakes along the way. And I won’t win every single game I play during my career. I won’t retire with a perfect passer rating or zero career interceptions. But I’ll try as hard as anybody. I’m ready to start the journey to a championship. And, more than anything else in the world, I’m ready to suit up and play some football."

Mahomes had monstrous statistical success with the Texas Tech Red Raiders during his college football career. Despite that, many scouts and team personnel had serious questions about whether or not his skillset could translate to the NFL game. Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs believed that it could, and it's safe to say that they were right.

How did the top 10 picks in Patrick Mahomes' draft class shake out?

Patrick Mahomes

It's crazy to think that Patrick Mahomes was just the 10th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He was also just the second QB off of the board, after Mitchell Trubisky. And many around the NFL believed that the Kansas City Chiefs made a mistake by selecting him before Deshaun Watson. They were apparently wrong, and all of the teams that passed on Mahomes in the draft are likely regretting it.

Here's how the top ten picks of that draft played out:

1. Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
2. Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears
3. Solomon Thomas, San Francisco 49ers
4. Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars
5. Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans
6. Jamal Adams, New York Jets
7. Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers
8. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers
9. John Ross, Cincinnati Bengals
10. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs