Chiefs rookie explains why he sympathises with Patrick Mahomes over issue quarterbacks ‘hate’

Add as preferred source on Google

During the 2023 season, Kansas City suffered from a lot of drops. In fact, the receiving corps in general went through a difficult phase.

The Kansas City Chiefs finished the season with 44 drops out of the 597 passes Patrick Mahomes threw – that means the team’s drop rate was 6.9, the highest in the entire league in 2023.

As a result, the organisation felt it was time to bring in new pass-catchers to strengthen KC’s squad. In the Draft, they selected some good names.

READ MORE: Patrick Mahomes and the top 10 most highly paid NFL quarterbacks, where Kansas City Chiefs star ranks

Betting on Jared Wiley as a tight end

With the 131st pick of the fourth round, the Kansas City Chiefs selected TCU tight end Jared Wiley.

His impact on the field lead to good results in the 2023 collegiate season: 47 receptions, 520 yards and 8 touchdowns, as well as achieving All-Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2022 and serving as team captain in 2023.

Last Saturday, Wiley shared his thoughts with the media at the rookies’ minicamp. He acknowledged how important his position is in the game: “My favorite thing about tight end is… I feel like it’s – aside from the quarterback – I feel like it’s the most essential part of your offense,”

“We’re asked to do everything whether it’s in the pass game or in the run game or pass protection. I kind of like having that pressure or weight on my shoulders a little bit, and I like being able to prove to myself and to everybody else that I’m completely capable of doing it.” added the freshman.

Wiley has already played quarterback and understands the size of the responsibility

The rookie played quarterback in high school. And his numbers are impressive. In his final year, he completed 149 passes for 2,314 yards, 27 touchdowns and threw five interceptions. But it was the TE position that stirred his heart.

Using this information as context, Wiley has been on both sides of the coin and has a good idea of what not to do in each position.

“I used to hate whenever my receivers dropped the ball so I know that quarterbacks hate that,” he said.

Now that he’ll be playing for Mahomes and knows about the team’s “reputation” for drops last season, he must work even harder to catch every ball that’s thrown to him.

“I’ve definitely done a lot of work with myself just being comfortable with the ball in the air, and being able to adjust my body certain ways to make those catches to help the quarterback out as much as possible.” added TCU’s product.

READ MORE: One player in the NFL can compete with Patrick Mahomes and knock off the Chiefs, says Louis Riddick