Patrick Mahomes receives boost as ‘overlooked’ rookie earns rave reviews with ‘electric’ performances

Patrick Mahomes may have another star-caliber receiving weapon available to him in his arsenal.

The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback has been blessed with speedsters over the years.

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Take Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman Jr., and Xavier Worthy, for example.

All have posed a deep threat for Mahomes in the past, and Cyrus Allen may become the next to be added to that list.

The rookie wide receiver drafted by the Chiefs with the 176th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft has already begun generating huge buzz around the league, primarily due to his route running and ball skills.

Chiefs receiver Worthy has even weighed in, and believes that the four-time Super Bowl champions have got a future star in their organization.

“Cyrus, he’s an electric route runner,” Worthy said of his new teammate back in June. “I mean, obviously you guys could see it, he has an explosion, obviously good ball skills, and he’s a smart player.

“[He] just does a lot of the same things that Coach [Andy] Reid was getting on me about when I was younger.”

“… Cyrus definitely has a special ability to him. I think he’s gonna be a special player.”

Allen suited up for three different college teams in four years, spending the first two years at Louisiana Tech where he had 68 receptions for 1,278 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

He transferred to Texas A&M as a junior, but had limited playing time due to an arm injury, recording just 18 receptions in 10 games for 269 yards and one touchdown.

He entered the NCAA transfer portal for a second time following the 2024 season, where he initially committed to the Tulane Green Wave before changing to the Cincinnati Bearcats.

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Getty

In Cincinnati, which is also Chiefs teammate all-time great tight end Travis Kelce‘s alma mater, Allen had a somewhat breakout year, recording 674 yards and a Big 12 Conference leading and school record 13 touchdowns in 13 games.

Chiefs need spark on offense

Allen’s arrival to Kansas City is likely a welcome one, especially after the struggles of the offense around Mahomes last season in what was a 2025 campaign to forget.

The two-time NFL MVP missed the playoffs for the very first time – and first since 2014 – in his career after the Chiefs could muster just six wins on the season.

Despite having a down year, 36-year-old Kelce was the team’s leader in receiving yards with 851 on the season, while Hollywood Brown, Rashee Rice and Worthy all failed to record more than 500 receiving yards.

The trio combined for just 11 scores, with the majority of success on the offence coming from running back Kareem Hunt (611 rushing yards and eight touchdowns) and Mahomes’ own legs as he recorded 422 rushing yards and five trips into the end zone.

Putting so much reliance on their talisman, who is already considered one of the greatest QBs of all time, ultimately cost him as he suffered a season-ending torn LCL and ACL injury in Week 15’s defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars – the same game where their post-season fate was officially sealed.

But Mahomes – who just penned a two-year extension taking his current contract to over $500 million in guaranteed money – is bidding to return from injury in time for the start of the 2026 season, with him reportedly ahead of schedule.

When he does inevitably return to the gridiron, there is nobody better to unlock a rookie receiver’s potential like Allen’s than him.

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