NEWSLETTER
As the NFL becomes more passer-friendly and the rules allow for more offensive freedom, teams are becoming more and more desperate to find their franchise quarterback.
Enter QB draft prospect Mitch Trubisky.
Playing a position of high importance (and increasingly high demand), Trubisky, who threw for 3,748 yards and 30 touchdowns as a junior at North Carolina, is certain to be a top-5 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, right?
Well, at Bleacher Report, Matt Miller openly wonders the same thing and is told by one GM that he will be.
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Further, when asking a scout to describe Trubisky in five words, the scout replied with 1) smart, 2) accurate, 3) poised, 4) athletic, and 5) smooth – encouraging praise for any team in search of a quarterback upgrade via the draft.
So if Trubisky’s size comes into question and leads to a drop in his final draft stock, it might simply mean that teams were discounting the smarts and accuracy displayed in the form of a 5-to-1 touchdown-interception ratio, and the smoothness and athleticism required to score five rushing and one receiving touchdown in 2016. In short, Trubisky has plenty of positive attributes worth highlighting and Miller’s dive into Trubisky’s past – in an attempt to gain clarity with regard to his future – is a superb read.
So considering the Bears’ need to fill that particular void and their positioning in the upcoming draft, it’s possible that Trubisky might actually be a fit in Chicago.
If you recall, we looked into a potential Bears-Trubisky fit back when he announced he was leaving school to enter the NFL Draft, and Miller did just write that Trubisky could be in play for the Bears at No. 3 if plans to acquire Jimmy Garoppolo fall through. However, Miller also believes that San Francisco is the most likely landing spot for Trubisky, because he is a schematic fit for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense, which could best utilize Trubisky’s mobility in the play action passing game.
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So while this class doesn’t necessarily project to have a franchise quarterback, it doesn’t mean one can’t emerge from the group – and perhaps Trubisky is that player. He was Ohio’s Mr. Football when he signed with North Carolina, and even though he didn’t earn regular playing time until his junior season, that could be something that helped him achieve positive results in 2016. The combination of prospect pedigree and patience seems to be rare in this era of amateur athletics.
Teammate Ryan Switzer, the Tar Heels’ leading receiver, told Miller that Trubisky’s work ethic never wavered while he played second-fiddle on campus. “I think his persistence over the course of our college years speaks for itself,” Switzer told Bleacher Report. “The reason he had the season he had this year is because of the work he put in the previous three years. It would’ve been easy for him to pack up and go elsewhere. There were plenty of conversations we had together about what he should do, but he stayed true to the course and prepped every rep in practice or OTAs like it was a game.”
No matter where Trubisky lands, he will need to put in a similar amount of work because he will likely be the face of a rebuilding effort.
