Big risk Mitchell Trubisky could be answer at QB for Bears

Mitchell Trubisky was North Carolina’s starter for just one season, and now he’ll focus on becoming the starter eventually for the Chicago Bears, after being selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft. The Bears traded up from the third overall pick to get him. Trubisky is expected to sit and learn behind Mike Glennon, whom the Bears signed in free agency.

Trubisky was a highly ranked dual-threat quarterback coming out of high school, but he was mostly sidelined behind Marquise Williams at UNC until last season. When Trubisky finally got his chance to start, he made the most of it, finishing with 3,748 yards and 30 touchdowns against just six interceptions. He added 308 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. After his impressive season, he decided to forgo his senior year and enter the draft.

Despite his limited experience as a starter, Trubisky could be the most pro-ready of any quarterback in this year’s draft. At 6’2, 225 pounds, Trubisky has the prototypical size of an NFL quarterback and that, along and his undeniable athletic ability, made him an easy choice for the Bears as their next franchise quarterback.

Trubisky isn’t a perfect prospect, but he’s well-rounded compared to the rest of this year’s draft class, except for maybe Deshaun Watson. Watson thought he should have been selected before Trubisky.

“You’re gonna have to live with the consequences that come with it,” Watson said Tuesday on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football.

Watson had more experience, but in his only season as a starter at UNC, Trubisky demonstrated an ability to read and anticipate defenses. That should help him transition to the NFL. Trubisky can make plays with his legs, but it’s always his second priority. He looks for the passing opportunity first.

Trubisky’s poise on the field is what NFL teams look for in a signal caller. He doesn’t panic, even as the pocket collapses, and moves through reads more quickly than many college quarterbacks manage.

Trubisky doesn’t see his lack of starting experience as a hindrance.

“I think I definitely have enough experience. I only have 13 starts but I played in 30 games,” Trubisky said at the combine. “I’ve come in off the bench, and I’ve seen significant time. I was prepared really well at North Carolina by coach [Keith] Heckendorf, a really good quarterbacks coach, and I’ve studied the game. I’m a student of the game, and I’ve seen a lot of defenses, and I think that’s going to help me.

“I feel like I’m in a really good spot right now to take my game to the next level, and I feel really confident.”

Trubisky will need development to succeed at the next level, but he is coachable, so he should get up to speed quickly.

Past a point, it doesn’t matter how poised Trubisky is or how well he seems to read defenses. Teams had a small sample size of games to work with while analyzing Trubisky’s potential as a starting quarterback.

Trubisky took most of his college snaps out of the shotgun, and transitioning to taking snaps from under center may be a challenge. It’s a matter of timing on the snap and dropback, and that’s not easy to master. Although Trubisky is a self-described student of the game, it may take him some time for him to learn.

His pocket awareness leaves something to be desired, as well. While he reads coverage well, he doesn’t always anticipate blitzes effectively. These are things that can be corrected with a combination of effective coaching and experience.

Apparently so! Stop what you’re doing and say “Mitch Trubisky” quickly a few times in a row. It’s not easy, right? Well, that’s how he got his nickname.

According to Trubisky, he earned the nickname when a family member of one of his coaches at UNC said his name too quickly.

“It was just kind of, ‘What’d you say, Mr. Biscuit?’” Trubisky said. “And it just caught on.”

And even though he went by Mitch in college, don’t call him that in the NFL. At the combine, Trubisky asked everyone to call him Mitchell from now on.

Trubisky isn’t a perfect prospect, but he’s well-rounded, especially compared to the rest of this year’s draft class.

In his only season as a starter at UNC, Trubisky demonstrated an ability to read and anticipate defenses, and that should help him transition to the NFL. Trubisky can make plays with his legs, but it’s always his second priority. He looks for the passing opportunity first.

Trubisky’s poise on the field is what NFL teams look for in a signal caller. He doesn’t panic, even as the pocket collapses, and moves through reads more quickly than many college quarterbacks manage.

Trubisky’s performance last season propelled him into the group of top quarterbacks in this year’s draft.