Former North Carolina Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky asked people to start calling him Mitchell and stop calling him Mitch during the Scouting Combine in February. Perhaps Mitchell needs a nickname too, can we suggest “Mitch?” There were reports that the Chicago Bears were looking to trade back from the #3 slot, but instead they went up to #2 and then took Trubisky.
Pretty much no one in the Bears community likes this pick. It’s been widely panned on Twitter. Here’s just a very small sampling.
I don't care. I'm calling him Mitch
— Brian Bedo (@BrianBedo) April 28, 2017
My reaction to (1) learning that the #Bears not losing to SF forced them to trade up, and (2) to drafting Trubisky. #EmbraceTanking pic.twitter.com/qhceVd02Yv
— The Tomfoolery of Professor John Frink (@Frustrated_Fan) April 28, 2017
Mike Glennon: 5 starts last 3 NFL seasons
Mitchell Trubisky: 13 college starts since HS
Mark Sanchez: 10 NFL starts since 2012
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) April 28, 2017
https://twitter.com/chifanpatt1/status/857751779458469888
If the Bears had selected Trubisky 3d, I'd have been mildly surprised. The trade of three premium picks to move up one slot is stunning.
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) April 28, 2017
Ryan Pace must have really, really, really, really, really, really had Trubisky rated higher than the other QBs in the 2017 #NFLDraft #Bears
— Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. (@wiltfongjr) April 28, 2017
Trading those picks for Mitchell Trubisky is like paying $20 for a bottle of water at Coachella only to spill it on the desert floor. #Bears
— Adam Rank (@adamrank) April 28, 2017
https://twitter.com/CaseyBake16/status/857753219568730112
#Bears fans after picking Mitchell Trubisky #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/nSjFCm5zHE
— History of Sports (@BeforeFamePics) April 28, 2017
Okay so the Bears seemed to have gotten fleeced here. According to reports, the Bears gave the 49ers their No. 3 overall pick, 2017 third- and fourth-round picks, and a 2018 third-round pick to move up to No. 2. All to move up just one spot!
Yikes! You can why Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace is being pilloried on social media right now. The fate of Pace will be tied to Trubisky. They will sink or swim together.
So who is Mitchell Tubisky?
“He’s polished,” said NFL Network Draft guru Mike Mayock, when he met the media during the combine availability post QB workouts.
“Even though he’s only played one year, which bothers me, you can see the quick feet, quick release and accurate, really like him.”
We heard reports claiming that Pace was prioritizing experience when deciding which way to go with the quarterback position.
That turned out to be completely true, and nothing but a blatant smoke screen. Pace even once said this offseason that the idea of Jay Cutler coming back was still on the table, but we really never believes that narrative at all.
Pace gave all that money Mike Glennon, a QB who’s accomplished nothing in the NFL and has hardly even played.
Sanchez doesn’t have much experience either. Mitchell Trubisky has only played only 13 games, so again However Mayock points out something interesting about him:
“he threw the ball 571 times this year. If you look at Carson Wentz in his entire career, I think Carson only threw it 612 times. So he only threw it 30 or 40 times less than Wentz did in college. However, one year as a starter, I look at that and go, okay, 13 games, how many two-minute situations was he in?
How many four-minute situations where he knew he had to bleed the clock and make calls at the line of scrimmage and do pass protections and get the ball out? I look at the Bowl game and think it’s a perfect example. It’s a microcosm of what I’m talking about. He made two or three throws in that Bowl game against Stanford that were big-time NFL throws under pressure.
Loved them. However, in the same half, in the second half of that game, he threw a pick six that was an awful read and an awful throw. I just don’t think he’s ready yet.”
Trubisky didn’t have the best combine. It wasn’t bad, it’s just that both Deshaun Watson of Clemson and Pat Mahomes of Texas Tech had significantly better showings. On the plus side, Mitchell Trubisky does bring a quick release, big arm, good feet and pocket mobility to the table.
Keep telling yourself that now, because I know you really hate this selection.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes to WGN CLTV and KOZN.
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