Chiefs’ Trey Smith says he had to change the way he blocks for Patrick Mahomes
Chiefs guard Trey Smith is 6 foot 5 and 329 pounds, but despite being the biggest man in most rooms, even he can be feel intimidated.
As Smith recalled on the “Trey Wallace Podcast,” he was thrilled when the Chiefs chose him in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
But Smith also admitted he was nervous when he first joined the Chiefs, in part because quarterback Patrick Mahomes was one of a number of established stars in KC’s locker room.
“I don’t know them, I’m just walking in there,” Smith said. “You also think like, ‘Man, what type of guys are they gonna be like? Are they gonna jerks, are they gonna be sort of you stuck up and not talk to you until you’re like a starter-level guy.’ I remember Day 1 that never was a case. From when I got drafted, I got a text saying welcome to the organization blah, blah, blah. Then just meeting him in person and he’s always welcomed us with open arms and extremely nice. He’s a humble guy. He’s legit. A lot of people don’t know about him but what you see is what you get on and off the field. He’s a great guy, a great human being.
“And like playing with him, it’s so much freaking fun because he’ll do just crazy passes: behind the back, sidearm, like lobbing it and sometimes the best part is when you watch it on film, you watch it back, you’re just like, ‘Whoa, what did he just do?’ ... The arm talent, it’s so special man, but also his football IQ the way he makes plays, decision-making, it’s insane.”
Smith revealed that Chiefs coaches drilled into him to disregard what he’d previously learned about blocking.
Offensive lineman often count in their head the time between the snap and when a quarterback should throw a pass.
But Mahomes is not your average quarterback, so Smith said he learned a different way of blocking.
“One of the things I had to do to adapt was like, early on, especially in training camp, my coaches would get on me, get the egg timer out of your head,” Smith said, “you’re working with one of the most prolific playmakers in the NFL. He’s gonna extend the play.
“The ball might not be out, Pat might be rolling around doing a spin, doing something crazy and launch the ball 50 yards for a touchdown. That’s just how he rolls. And for me that was something I had to adapt and learn, to stay in my blocks, strain to finish. But he makes it so easy sometimes because whenever you have 15 back there, you always have a chance to win. But I think what makes him special is like, he’s a great guy, he’s a good human being, a good person and it’s and honor to block for him and so he’s just fun to be around.”
Here is Smith talking about Mahomes.
