Few quarterbacks in the history of the NFL posses the physical and mental abilities that Patrick Mahomes has. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback has an efficient and effortless throwing style, and yet the ball erupts out of his hand — and, goodness, it flies beautifully.

If playing quarterback was just about physical ability, Mahomes might already be the greatest of all time, the GOAT. But he’s more than a howitzer. The 23-year-old has a rare combination of tools that are putting him on track to be the GOAT.

First, let’s explore the fact that there aren’t many (any?) throws Mahomes can’t make. When looking for a quarterback, he needs to throw well from the pocket, throw off platform, throw with pressure in his face and, if extending the play, make a point of keeping his eyes downfield to complete throws after the play breaks downs. Mahomes did all of those things with regularity during the 2018 season.

In training camp, Mahomes is making throws Brady or Peyton Manning could only dream of. Rolling to his left in a practice on Aug. 2, Mahomes hurled the ball roughly 60-yards to his receiver in stride. And perhaps you’re thinking: It was training camp and there wasn’t even a pass-rush. It’s a good point, except that Mahomes made plays like that one during the regular season and postseason, too. Mahomes made almost the exact same play against the Patriots in the AFC championship when connecting with Sammy Watkins. Mahomes did something similar when he found Travis Kelce against the Raiders. And Mahomes also managed a heave like that one when he converted a fourth-and-9 against the Baltimore Ravens.

His arm strength is unquestionable.

Well, there’s always one question: How was that possible?

But Mahomes isn’t like Zoolander — he can turn left. While rolling left, Mahomes made one of his most spectacular throws of the season. He zipped the ball between a gang of defenders to an improvising Charcanderick West. The more you watch the play, the less it makes sense.

MAHOMES MAGIC ✨ pic.twitter.com/M5pmth6QGO — Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 24, 2018

It’s proof that he can throw at just about any arm angle. It’s proof that he can deliver a heater with accuracy when he is off-platform (which is putting it mildly). These novelty throws came on a per-week basis. He completed a throw with his left hand, and connected with receivers on touchdowns after running in circles in his backfield. If there are two lineman in his way, he’ll use a weird arm angle to throw around them.

Patrick Mahomes rifles a pass around his lineman sidearm to find Travis Kelce #INDvsKC pic.twitter.com/hc5O5poI1Q — Kevin Boilard (@247KevinBoilard) January 12, 2019

And yes, he completed a pass without even looking at his receiver. The magic of this throw isn’t even just that he completed a no-look pass (which, by the way, is pretty amazing). It’s also that he made that pass after dancing around two pass-rushers, who fell at his feet in a crowded pocket. During the play, Mahomes didn’t just keep his eyes upfield — he intentionally kept them upfield in the wrong place to deliver the ball to the right place. Ridiculous.

Over the course of these highlight-reel plays, you’ve probably notice that Mahomes is a well-rounded athlete — unlike Tom Brady (who — hopefully we all can agree — is the greatest quarterback of all time) or Peyton Manning. Mahomes has the requisite speed, size, strength and agility to outrun defenders. He’s also agile enough to be elusive in the pocket.

So hopefully I’ve proven that Mahomes’ arm talent is special and his physical abilities are above average. His creativity as a passer, which is a product of that arm strength and flexibility, is what makes him unique. His ability to read defenses and understand their weaknesses is what makes him more than just an arm. Maybe his football IQ is off the charts because of his photographic memory.

From USA TODAY’s Mike Jones:

“But the quarterback also benefits both from an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and an eidetic memory (also known as photographic memory). This mental ability enables him to vividly and precisely recall lessons, images and scenarios from the classroom, practice field and games. As Steinberg explained it, Mahomes’ mind works in a way that enables the quarterback to compartmentalize and slow the game down at a greater rate than most young quarterbacks.”

He doesn’t just ride these natural gifts — he likes to work, according to Chiefs coach Andy Reid. Put it all together, and he’s the kind of player that his teammates like to follow.

Arm strength? Check.

Creativity? Check.

Intelligence and work ethic? Check.

A natural and likable leader? Check.

Sounds a little like kermit the frog and is a huge fan of ketchup on steaks? Also, check. (Hey, even the perfect quarterback has some imperfections.)

Mahomes checks so many of the necessary boxes that should make him the greatest quarterback to ever play. But a quarterback’s greatness isn’t determined by him alone. He will need support, much like Brady has gotten from Bill Belichick. Brady’s greatness is a near impossibility without Belichick — it’s so easy to imagine a scenario where Brady gets drafted by another team in 2000, misses the cut at the end of training camp and sits behind an office desk for most of his adult life.

So Mahomes will need help from Reid, general manager Brett Veach and the Chiefs over the next decade or two. Veach has managed the team nicely so far, but that’s a small sample size. Kansas City is still benefitting from the John Dorset administration, but Veach can take credit for drafting Mahomes.

Under Reid, Mahomes has an interesting chance to make a paradigm shift. Sure, Reid will get huge credit for whatever success Mahomes enjoys, because Reid has an impressive history of helping quarterbacks perform at a high level. But Reid is a notoriously poor clock manager at the end of games — that’s where Mahomes can erase his coach’s bad tendencies. What’s more, Reid had a 11-14 record in the playoffs before turning to Mahomes. The coach isn’t known for winning big games. Again, that’s a huge opportunity for Mahomes — he can be the reason Reid’s playoffs woes turn around.

There may be rough patches ahead in Mahomes’ career — and, frankly, those rough patches might disqualify him. It’s hard to imagine Mahomes throwing for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in every season. In fact, plenty of quarterbacks looked like the next big thing (Cam Newton in 2011 and 2015 or Colin Kaepernick in 2013) only to regress significantly. Mahomes will eventually have to make the leap — which has stumped a handful of quarterbacks before him — of carrying a team while playing under a mega contract, which Mahomes is sure to get in short time. For now, Mahomes is on his rookie deal, and has the luxury of talented skill players, who come with a major price tag (see: TE Travis Kelce, WR Sammy Watkins). There can only be one G.O.A.T — the realistic likelihood of Mahomes, even with his bounty of abilities, is quite low.

But Mahomes has everything he needs for greatness. He could earn the title of G.O.A.T. if the things that he can control (work ethic, leadership and physical and mental tools) combine with the things that he cannot (coaching, surrounding personnel), and he finishes with a few Super Bowls.