North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky is the first quarterback off the board in the NFL draft, baffling college fans who saw Clemson’s Deshaun Watson tear apart Alabama’s defense and who have few memories from Trubisky’s 13 career starts.
Who is Mitchell Trubisky? See if you can pick the Bears’ new QB out of a lineup
The UNC QB’s NFL draft stock has soared all the way to the No. 2 overall pick, so let’s play a little game.
The Bears traded up from the third overall pick to the second and drafted Trubisky on Thursday night. Watson and every other QB was still theirs for the taking, after the Browns splurged on Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett to start the draft.
Considering how quickly he’s risen from being a productive, relatively little-known first-year starter to being the No. 1 QB and No. 2 overall pick, not many people know much about him. Not even college fans!
Actual details on who Trubisky is are below, but first, let’s play a game.
See if you can spot Trubisky in this group of 2016 UNC players, any of whom might conceivably have a last name like “Trubisky.”
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Scroll to the bottom for your answer.
Is Trubisky really this good?
I’m no talent scout, but the 6’2, 222-pound Ohio native’s rise isn’t quite as baffling as that of Cal’s Jared Goff in 2015. He was only third-team All-ACC in 2016, but that was behind Heisman winner Lamar Jackson and national champ Watson.
It’s worth noting Trubisky played a hard schedule in his one year ...
2017 NFL draft QBs, ranked by 2015/2016 schedule strength
QB | Average opposing defense | Top-10 defenses | Top-30 defenses | Top-60 defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deshaun Watson, Clemson | 35.1 | 6 | 14 | 23 |
| Mitch Trubisky, UNC* | 36.9 | 1 | 5 | 9 |
| Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee | 39.6 | 6 | 11 | 16 |
| Chad Kelly, Ole Miss | 41.9 | 6 | 10 | 12 |
| DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame | 45 | 3 | 9 | 18 |
| Nathan Peterman, Pitt | 49.3 | 1 | 5 | 16 |
| Jerod Evans, Virginia Tech* | 51.2 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Davis Webb, Cal and Texas Tech** | 51.3 | 2 | 7 | 12 |
| Brad Kaaya, Miami | 52.5 | 1 | 6 | 14 |
| Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech | 70.3 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
Is he a one-year wonder who couldn’t beat out NFL backup Marquise Williams or truly a franchise quarterback? It’s unfair to fully declare it either way. But even the first part of that question makes Trubisky one of the greatest risks in this year’s draft, because of the position he plays.
If you like Trubisky, it starts with his athletic ability. He can maneuver around the pocket effortlessly, climbing as pressure builds around him, and he can get out on the move well enough. He can place the ball in all areas of the field and has a good arm, throwing just six interceptions on 446 attempts last season. He also knows how to work through progressions and has a quick enough release.
If you don’t like Trubisky, it’s because of his inexperience and the issues that come with it. He sometimes struggles to pick up blitzes and his ability to read a defense can be questionable (this was most evidenced against Stanford when he threw two interceptions). His deep ball accuracy is inconsistent.
So yeah. He’s not an Andrew Luck or a Jameis Winston, a QB most everyone agrees is a sure first-rounder. If a player like that were in this class, Trubisky might not even be a first-rounder. But if GMs believe he’s the best of this group, he’ll command a high price regardless.
The UNC player who is actually Trubisky is ...
... No. 13 in that gallery.
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