This is prospect fatigue. This is the exact same phenomenon that had people talking themselves out of Peyton Manning 25 years ago.
Patrick Mahomes played his senior year for a 5-7 Texas Tech team that went 1-6 down the stretch. Patrick Mahomes is now the best QB in the world.
Listening to the San Francisco 49ers on the radio in the 1990s, last week of the season, we needed them to win to make the playoffs, I didn't think there was any way they would lose because they were always good. They lost.