"Big time arm talent with eye popping accuracy on the move but hails from a pure air raid and has inconsistencies from his mechanics to field vision"
Strengths:
Big time arm talent. Makes accurate throws from varied arm angles, off balance, back foot and on the move. Has the velocity to hit tight windows. Solid size and stature with decent mobility and scrambling ability.
Improviser who buys time and routinely converts. Flashes ability to hang in the pocket till the last second. High character guy not afraid of the big stage and regularly rallies his team.
Weaknesses:
Saying the Air Raid offense makes for a difficult transition into a pro style scheme is an understatement. Footwork and mechanics are rarely consistent. Inconsistent field vision..often misses the easy throw but locates the difficult one.
Often escapes the pocket before he needs to. Utilizes a low delivery, although his velocity and release compensate. Often holds the ball low on the move and is susceptible to strips.
Adept college scrambler but not an especially fast guy. As both a baseball pitcher and QB, Mahomes’ arm has already had major reps.
Overall:
While it’s a fact that the pure air raid QBs have generally all failed (with Garoppolo still relatively unproven), there are plenty of recent spread QBs, such as Mariota, Carr and Prescott who have excelled.
And the college spread and college air raid are very similar. Contrary to popular opinion...one of the more successful air raid QBs on the field was actually Johnny Manziel...
A catastrophe off the field but his progress on it was pretty good in a short sample. And what separated him from many air raid QBs was his scrambling mobility.
Mahomes is one of the most accurate college QB’s on the move I’ve ever seen... examples here vs LSU. & vs West Virginia. And he possesses the most arm talent of any air raid QB to date.
That said, his success will hinge on his ability to process and manage the game at the pro level, not the highlight plays...This won't cut it.. vs West Virginia.
The last air raid QB with near as much raw talent was RG3. And it was the fundamentals...accuracy, reading defenses, timing, and pocket presence that dogged him out of the league more than anything else.
Pro Comparison: an air raid Matt Stafford
