We Have This Guy to Thank for Patrick Mahomes

Mahomes had just finished his sophomore season—just two years removed from Whitehouse High. He'd thrown for 4,653 yards as a sophomore and put up big numbers in the Red Raiders' Air Raid offense, as most Texas Tech quarterbacks did, but owing to his quiet college recruitment and the fact he wasn't eligible for the draft for another year, he wasn't exactly on NFL radars. "Who is this guy?" analyst Brett Veach thought. The question became an obsession. It eventually led Veach down a rabbit hole—more tape and more ridiculous throws and more questions—and one day that spring, as he later recalled, he was grinding Mahomes tape on a quiet weekend inside the Chiefs' offices when Andy Reid happened by. Reid was curious about what Veach was up to. Veach had a simple answer: He was watching the next quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs.

View in Browser  SHOP EXCLUSIVE SUBSCRIBE The Scout Who Found Patrick Mahomes Mahomes had just finished his sophomore season—just two years removed from Whitehouse High. He'd thrown for 4,653 yards as a sophomore and put up big numbers in the Red Raiders' Air Raid offense, as most Texas Tech quarterbacks did, but owing to his quiet college recruitment and the fact he wasn't eligible for the draft for another year, he wasn't exactly on NFL radars. "Who is this guy?" analyst Brett Veach thought. The question became an obsession. It eventually led Veach down a rabbit hole—more tape and more ridiculous throws and more questions—and one day that spring, as he later recalled, he was grinding Mahomes tape on a quiet weekend inside the Chiefs' offices when Andy Reid happened by. Reid was curious about what Veach was up to. Veach had a simple answer: He was watching the next quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs. Read More 14 Old Pictures of Music Legends Working in the Studio What goes on behind the scenes. Read More What Happens When the Forces of MAGA Meet Local Government Ottawa County in Holland, Michigan got a piano of ignorance dropped on its head. Read More Carlos Alcaraz Brings the Smooth in His First Louis Vuitton Campaign Carlos Alcaraz keeps racking up W's. There was, of course, the victory over Novak Djokovic in the final at Wimbledon in July of this year. (Alcaraz says he "learn[s] something from him every time we play.") Before that was his 100th career win at the Indian Wells Masters in March. And in between those two tennis milestones, a triumph of a different sort: being named a brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton. Not bad for a guy who just recently turned 20. "I have admired the brand for a long time," Alcaraz says of Vuitton, "so for me the partnership is a dream come true." Read More There Really Is a Flannel Shirt For Everyone. It's Time to Find Yours. The wardrobe staple is always in style. Read More The 14 Best Corduroy Shirts Are Both Cool and Cozy When the chill comes in, this style will be your secret weapon. Read More The Long Tale (Tail?) of Dogs in Fiction Everyone has a favorite fictional dog—or they should have. John Waters famously said, "If you go home with somebody, and they don't have books, don't fuck 'em!" That goes double for someone who can't name the storybook hound of their heart. After all, there are so many wonderful pooches to choose from. What does the long tale (tail?) of literary canines tell us about this unique bond? What does it tell us about ourselves? To celebrate International Dog Day, I wanted to look at how we represent and respond to dogs in our stories. From flea-bitten mutts to gallant hounds, who are the good boys and girls of our hearts, and how are they so wonderfully, devastatingly able to induce an empathy that demolishes the species barrier? Read More Follow Us Unsubscribe | Privacy Notice/Notice at Collection esquire.com ©2023 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019