NEWSLETTER
I’ve always liked the adage “You don’t know where you’re going, if you don’t know where you’ve been.” And it’s precisely that line of thinking that takes me back to the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, where there was plenty of love for an up-and-coming quarterback prospect named Mitch Trubisky. You might’ve heard of him.
Take a moment to re-visit his Combine highlights:
Remember the quotes?
Those comments were said by NFL Network analysts Charles Davis, Mike Mayock, and Derek David Carr. Clearly, there was a lot to like about Trubisky as a prospect.
But it’s not like Trubisky’s performance at the Combine shot him up draft charts. Mayock had Trubisky as a top-3 quarterback and top-10 lock. FOX Sports College Football/NFL Draft analyst Joel Klatt ranked Trubisky as the third-highest-rated quarterback of his class (behind only DeShone Kizer and Deshaun Watson) before the Combine. Peter Schrager also had high marks for Trubisky before it and projected him to be a top-10 pick going No. 6 to the Jets in a pre-Combine mock. After the Combine, Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller had Trubisky as the No. 1 quarterback on his board and the 12th best player overall. For what it’s worth, Miller’s BR teammate Brent Sobleski had Trubisky as the first QB off the board before the Combine. The consistency was real.
Think back to what the Bears’ quarterback situation looked like back in March 2017. It was essentially a blank canvas that could have been filled in any number of ways. Jay Cutler was on his way out, trade targets such as Jimmy Garoppolo and Tyrod Taylor were popping up on the rumor mill, and free agents like Mike Glennon were looking for a fresh start with a new franchise. And then there was a draft class of quarterbacks (which included Trubisky) whose futures were uncertain. There were so many moving parts and possibilities then, but things are clearer no. And with Trubisky, the Bears’ future appears to be bright.
