Shanahan on 2017 draft: 'I didn't look into' Mahomes enough
The San Francisco 49ers held the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and wanted to add a quarterback, but opted to select defensive lineman Solomon Thomas.
That year's class, of course, featured Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. As Kyle Shanahan's squad prepares to battle Mahomes in Super Bowl LIV, the head coach admitted he should have scouted the 2018 MVP more extensively.
"I didn't look into (Mahomes) obviously as much as I should have (prior to the draft)," Shanahan told reporters Tuesday, according to NFL.com's Nick Shook. "We definitely looked into him, studied all of his tape. Was just a freak, could make any throw. ... We had the second pick in the draft. Did not feel, like from all the intel that you get and stuff, that he was gonna go that high."
On draft day, San Francisco traded the No. 2 pick to the Bears (which Chicago used to draft Mitch Trubisky) and received the No. 3 selection as part of the return. The Kansas City Chiefs selected Mahomes 10th overall after trading up.
Shanahan added, "You saw a bunch of talented guys in that draft. It's very tough when you watch college systems. ... You can see ability, you can see talent, but how's the mind? How do they play in the pocket? How do they process? That's not just an IQ score. That's some stuff I don't think you can totally test. You gotta go through that with them, so there's always a risk when you spend a first-round pick on a quarterback. With the situation we were in, (we) didn't want to be that risky."
Shanahan was entering his first season as San Francisco's head coach and had targeted then-Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins. The team slapped Cousins with the franchise tag in 2017 and he was widely rumored to be a trade candidate.
"It was a little different situation for us just 'cause I think it's pretty well documented ... the relationship I had with Kirk being in Washington and I felt very confident that he wasn't gonna stay there," Shanahan said. "So anytime you go into a season knowing that a franchise quarterback was going to be available the next year, it made me a lot more picky."
After failing to acquire Cousins, the 49ers traded for Jimmy Garoppolo and found themselves NFC champions two campaigns later. Garoppolo and Mahomes will face off Sunday for the right to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.