Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomes declares for NFL draft

Another underclassman quarterback is headed to the NFL.

Texas Tech junior Patrick Mahomes announced in a press conference Tuesday morning that he will forgo his senior season and declare for the draft. Mahomes led the country with a whopping 5,052 yards in the Red Raiders’ pass-happy offense. He threw for 41 touchdowns with just 10 interceptions despite playing injured for much of the year.

“After talking to coach (Kliff) Kingsbury and my family, we feel like this is the best decision and this will be the best for my future going forward,” Mahomes said. “With my love for Texas Tech, this was a very hard decision for me.”

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Mahomes is the fifth underclassman quarterback to declare for the draft, joining Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer, Miami’s Brad Kaaya and Virginia Tech’s Jerod Evans. North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky is also expected to enter the draft, Notably, Washington State’s Luke Falk opted to return for his senior season.

Mahomes recently underwent surgery on his non-throwing wrist. During his Tuesday press conference, he said he’d be able to train while wearing a splint and hopes to have “full motion” before the NFL combine.

“I’m hoping with hard rehab I’ll be pretty much 100 percent at the combine,” Mahomes said.

Mahomes submitted for his draft evaluation and told reporters he received a second-round grade.

Mahomes says he got a 2nd round grade from the NFL and that he's heard 1st, 2nd and 3rd round from various people his camp has talked to.

— Chris Level (@ChrisLevel) January 3, 2017

Overall in his career, Mahomes threw for 11,252 yards, 93 touchdowns and 29 touchdowns while completing 63.5 percent of his passes. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Mahomes also rushed for 845 yards and 22 touchdowns in his three years at TTU.

For more Texas Tech news, visit RedRaiderSports.com.

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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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