Mahomes: Chiefs playbook 'a lot harder than I thought' it would be

Patrick Mahomes is learning firsthand how difficult the transition from college football to the NFL can be for a quarterback.

Taking part in a three-day rookie minicamp with the Kansas City Chiefs, the first-round pick finally got the chance to dive into his new playbook over the weekend.

His responsibilities within the system are admittedly far more daunting than he could have expected heading in.

"It's a lot more than I had at Texas Tech," Mahomes said, according to Adam Teicher of ESPN. "Whenever I got up there and called it, then I had to look out there and see the guys and make sure everybody was in the right position. That was pretty much the process, and it was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be."

Mahomes touching on the complexity of NFL playbooks is in no way a red flag for his development, but rather yet another example of how much different the professional game is for those at his position.

Understanding the process of bringing a young signal-caller along, head coach Andy Reid preached balance with the amount of information being thrown his way.

"The main thing is that he learns the verbiage part," Reid said. "We know he can throw the football. It's a matter of getting in and getting the verbiage down and the formations and making sure he's comfortable with that. It's a good period for him to learn. There will be a lot of that going on."

Landing with the Chiefs, where he can sit behind Alex Smith and work under a strong offensive mind like Reid, represents an ideal scenario for Mahomes as he makes the jump to the professional level.

Kansas City can afford to be patient with his development, keeping him on the sidelines until he's well prepared to make the most of his jaw-dropping arm talent.

Those rare physical skills, which saw Mahomes record an incredible 9,705 yards and 77 touchdowns over his last two seasons at Texas Tech, had the Chiefs willing to trade up 17 spots in the first round to secure their quarterback of the future.

- With h/t to NFL.com