Cleveland Browns 2017 NFL Draft Profile: Mitchell Trubisky
By Kirk Binder
Mitchell Trubisky is a local product who grew up in the Cleveland suburb of Mentor, OH. He played high school football for Mentor High School where he was named Ohio’s Mr. Football in 2012.
Although he received nine scholarship offers, including one from Ohio State, he committed to North Carolina. While with the Tar Heels he sat behind starting QB Marquise Williams until Williams went on to the NFL after the 2015 season.
In 2016, his junior season, Trubisky finally got the starting job in Chapel Hill and did not disappoint. He showed athleticism and poise while putting up some flashy stats, including 30 touchdowns to six interceptions.
Trubisky has good size for the position standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 222 pounds. His 2017 NFL Combine results showed his athletic prowess as he ran a 4.67 40-yard dash and 6.87 3-cone drill.
In Trubisky’s NFL.com draft profile, Lance Zierlein commented:
"Built to withstand physical challenges of the position. Calm field general. Very good pocket mobility. Can slide around circumference of the pocket without having to drop his eyes from their task. When he leaves the pocket, looks to challenge with his arm before defaulting to his feet. Always in ready-to-rip throwing posture. Delivery is crisp and efficient. Locates safeties and reads their intentions immediately after the snap. Quick through his progressions and will double back to targets if his protection allows him time. Pocket mechanics and throwing motion are solid. Tough and competitive. Shows courage and poise in the pocket. Built to withstand physical challenges of the position. Calm field general. Very good pocket mobility. Can slide around circumference of the pocket without having to drop his eyes from their task. When he leaves the pocket, looks to challenge with his arm before defaulting to his feet. Always in ready-to-rip throwing posture. Delivery is crisp and efficient. Locates safeties and reads their intentions immediately after the snap. Quick through his progressions and will double back to targets if his protection allows him time. Pocket mechanics and throwing motion are solid. Tough and competitive. Shows courage and poise in the pocket."
Having only started 13 games in his collegiate career Trubisky has some refinement to take his game to the NFL level:
"Will have to learn NFL footwork from under center which could take time. Benefits from offense loaded with RPOs (run-pass option) that pull linebackers forward and open easier throwing windows. Played in space-based passing attack that didn’t often ask him to throw to tight windows in traffic. Arm slot will drop way down causing batted balls at line of scrimmage. Too willing to float balls rather than air-mailing them out of bounds when he’s making a bail-out throw against pressure. Needs better drive accuracy between the hashes.Will have to learn NFL footwork from under center which could take time. Benefits from offense loaded with RPOs (run-pass option) that pull linebackers forward and open easier throwing windows. Played in space-based passing attack that didn’t often ask him to throw to tight windows in traffic. Arm slot will drop way down causing batted balls at line of scrimmage. Too willing to float balls rather than air-mailing them out of bounds when he’s making a bail-out throw against pressure. Needs better drive accuracy between the hashes."
The debate is whether he should have stayed in school for his senior season, however this being considered a weak QB class he chose to declare early.
He’s considered a top 3 QB prospect in the 2017 NFL Draft and a lot of experts have him as the number one overall QB.