Patrick Mahomes Explains 'Huge' Development for Kingsley Suamataia

In Suamataia's first offseason as a pro, one thing in particular has stood out to his all-world quarterback.

Mar 3, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Brigham Young offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia (OL65) during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

With rookies and quarterbacks having reported to training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri, the Kansas City Chiefs have ample opportunities for first-year players to establish a rapport entering the preseason.

A select few of those 2024 draftees are squarely in line for premium reps in the regular season if they stand out now. Second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia headlines the group alongside first-rounder Xavier Worthy.

The former is projected to continue his position battle with left tackle Wanya Morris during camp. The better performer will win the job for Week 1, and head coach Andy Reid believes it's a healthy situation for everyone. The stakes will only be raised from here, especially with no clear favorite being revealed by the team.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is impressed by what he's seen from the BYU product thus far, praising his willingness to improve with each repetition.

"Yeah, I think it's just practice," Mahomes said. "I mean, it's not going to be perfect every single day, and we don't expect it to be, but we expect you to go out there and put your best effort forward every single rep. It'll be a great competition in that O-line room, especially that left tackle spot, but we'll send kind of all of those guys out there and just see who can go out there and compete and come out the best. Whoever wins the job wins the job. I'm excited for the competition of it. That's what you want in any team at any position, you want competition. I'm excited for those guys to kind of see who can rise to the occasion."

Suamataia, just 21 years old, has experience operating on both sides of the offensive line. At left tackle, he displays excellent athleticism and plenty of upside. There are still some things he has to correct, but his ceiling is undoubtedly higher than that of Morris. With that said, as Zack Eisen of Chiefs On SI pointed out, he had just 201 true dropback reps during his college career.

Despite that, Kansas City remains confident in the rookie's ability to grow on the fly. Mahomes compared Suamataia's progress to his own debut offseason when the bar wasn't set nearly as high for immediate contributions.

"He got better and better, and he wasn't scared of the moment," Mahomes said. "I think that's a big thing. I remember me coming in as a rookie, I didn't even get thrown in with the ones like that. He's coming straight in from Combine training, getting thrown in with the ones, and he's competing. He's not making the same mistakes twice, and I think that's huge. The pads will come on, that's another step in the journey for him, but I think he's excited for it, honestly. We'll see where we'll at, we'll keep building and try to see, like I said, who comes out on top at the end of the competition."

Don't get it twisted: Morris is right in the thick of this race. He had an abundance of quality reps while temporarily filling in for former starter Donovan Smith last season. He also showed his youth, though, which is to be expected for a rookie player. The Chiefs' hope is that Suamataia can avoid some of those lulls, albeit a few will be inevitable.

The next month is critical for both players, and the new kid on the block is managing to draw lots of of good attention.

Read More: Patrick Mahomes Says There's No 'Easing' into Offense for Xavier Worthy