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Texas Tech has been gifted with many prolific quarterbacks in the past two decades following the arrival of former coach Mike Leach. Patrick Mahomes has been the most talented of them all. And now, in a move that shouldn't be that surprising, he's off early to the NFL.

Mahomes announced Tuesday during a news conference that he will leave college, forgoing his final season of eligibility, and declare for the 2017 NFL Draft. Per Mahomes, he received a second-round grade, which would make him a Day 2 selection.

Mahomes, who said the evaluation process led to a "really hard decision," led the nation with 5,052 passing yards as the only quarterback with more than 5,000 yards through the air. He did it all in spite of the fact he only played 12 games and dealt with multiple injuries throughout the season.

He's third on the program's all-time passing list with 11,252 passing yards behind Graham Harrell and current Red Raiders coach Kliff Kingsbury. Had Mahomes returned for another season, he surely would have broken Harrell's record, barring injury.


However, there probably isn't much more Mahomes can do in college besides break more records. He has all the tools an NFL scout would want to see: a cannon arm, great mobility in and out of the pocket, maturity and size. He's an absolute freak of an athlete. But it would appear, at least according to some, that Mahomes is a bit of project right out of college. Either way, it seems like this was the time for him to make that jump.