"No one sees pro athletes behind the scenes": When Patrick Mahomes opened up about learning hard work from other sports icons

Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes is seen by many as the epitome of greatness in the modern NFL. However, that wasn't always the case, and the QB was drafted at No. 10 in 2017, behind Mitch Trubisky, and sat for a year before taking over under center.

In a 2018 interview, Mahomes discussed how other sports icons have helped forge his work ethic (via ESPN), with the knowledge that so much of their success comes from 'behind the scenes':

"No one really sees pro athletes behind the scenes. They don't know how hard they work. They don't see how you work on the basics. They couldn't possibly know. You wouldn't think that someone who hits like Alex Rodriguez needs to use a tee every day. But that's how he stayed on top of it."

Patrick Mahomes also referred to his father's example, Pat Mahomes, a former MLB player, noting how he has mirrored his father's hard work after games:

"I use that in my own study habits," Mahomes said. "Take our game plans. Each week, there is some carryover from the previous week. It's the same stuff. But I go over that part, too, every day, just to make sure I know every aspect of it and don't take it for granted.

"You don't want to get lazy about that, even right before a game, because that can affect how you play."

Putting in the hard work behind the scenes has certainly helped Mahomes, who many had doubts about when the Chiefs drafted him.

Patrick Mahomes was seen as an unnecessary risk when drafted by the Chiefs

NFL: NFL Draft - Source: Imagn

A notable period of Patrick Mahomes' career came when he sat behind Alex Smith for a year. Smith had led the Chiefs to the postseason four times in five years, and while they came up short, this was an era where Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger and Peyton Manning were dominating the AFC.

As such, QB was not seen as a massive area of need for Kansas City in the draft, and spending the No. 10 pick on Mahomes was questioned by many. While that now looks like a crazy take, at the time, the feeling was that the Chiefs could strengthen other areas of their team instead of adding depth or a project at QB.

Furthermore, while Patrick Mahomes was seen as a solid prospect, concerns arose about his ability to adapt from Texas Tech's pass-heavy offense to the pros.

Predicting who will achieve greatness in sports is an inexact science. Joe Montana was selected in the third round of the draft, while Tom Brady was chosen in the sixth round. While Peyton Manning lived up to the expectations of being the number one overall pick, Ryan Leaf, who was selected immediately after him at number two, is in the conversation of biggest draft busts of all time.

Needless to say, Mahomes was a huge hit, and he became only the fifth quarterback in history to win three Super Bowls, earning the MVP title for each. He was also the youngest to achieve this milestone. Legendary Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw, each with four Super Bowl wins, are now within his reach.

Patrick Mahomes has a career completion rate of 66.5% and has thrown for 32,032 yards and 242 touchdown passes. His aggressive style of play is complemented by only 74 interceptions, demonstrating his ability to make smart decisions on the field. With a passer rating of 101.9 and the Lombardi's to prove it, he already ranks among the greatest quarterbacks of all time.