NFL 2018: Biggest obstacle each team must overcome

Kansas City Chiefs: Making sure Mahomes is ready to be starter

During the 2017 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs made a bold decision by giving up a future first-round pick so they could move up to select Patrick Mahomes II, making it clear that it was only a matter of time before they moved on from Alex Smith. Originally, it seemed like the Chiefs would wait another year or two since Smith was still playing some of his best football, but after trading the veteran to the Washington Redskins, all eyes will be on Mahomes heading into 2018.

At this point, it’s still too early to determine whether this was the right move by Kansas City since Mahomes is inexperienced, and didn’t even see action until the end of last season when the AFC West was already clinched. The good news for Mahomes is while there may be some concern over him adjusting to his first full year as the starter, the Chiefs have done an amazing job providing the necessary talent to succeed.

From Kareem Hunt at running back to reliable targets in Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill in the passing game, Mahomes is in a great position to lead Kansas City to another playoff appearance. But until Mahomes proves that trading Smith was the right decision, the pressure is on for the quarterback.