Patrick Mahomes believes he landed in the ideal environment to succeed in the NFL when the Kansas City Chiefs drafted him in 2017.
The 24-year-old was not seen as a sure-fire lock to prosper in the pros when he came out of Texas Tech in a draft class that included fellow quarterbacks Mitchell Trubisky and Deshaun Watson.
The Chicago Bears traded up to the second pick to land Trubisky, a decision Mahomes reminded them of when he celebrated by counting to 10 - the spot where Kansas City moved up to select him - during the Chiefs' Week 16 win at Soldier Field.
While Trubisky has struggled, Mahomes has thrived, something he attributes to the situation at Kansas City, where he sat behind Alex Smith for a year before becoming the full-time starter last season.
"I think I ended up in the perfect place," said reigning MVP Mahomes, who has led the Chiefs to Super Bowl LIV.
"To have coach [Andy] Reid and these coaches around me, to have Alex Smith in front of me for a year and be able to learn from him, and then obviously to have all the players I have around me.
We here now, time to go. #ChampionshipSwagger pic.twitter.com/Hwl7FBxa7l
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) January 28, 2020
"I'm in a place where the team was already a winning team, a team that had a lot of success and I came in, was able to be who I am, and ended up being able to win a lot of football games early in my career."
Mahomes' success in 2018 meant the Chiefs were considered one of the leading contenders to reach the Super Bowl, unlike the San Francisco 49ers, their opponents in Miami on Sunday.
However, an appearance at the showpiece for the first time in 50 years looked unlikely when Mahomes went down with a worrying-looking knee injury during a game against the Denver Broncos in October.
He was diagnosed with a dislocated kneecap and avoided ligament damage, only missing two games despite initial fears that it could be a serious problem.
"I for sure had those thoughts a little bit whenever I had the injury," Mahomes admitted.
"The biggest thing was I looked down and I knew my knee didn't look right and I thought the worst.
"But, at the same time, when I got back to the locker room and talked to the doctors, they were very positive.
"The next few weeks, with the training staff, they worked me hard to go out there and rehab and do everything the right way and it helped me to come back fast."