Mitch Trubisky Leaving UNC for NFL -- Is He Making the Wrong Choice?
The North Carolina football team is going to have a hard time repeating the success in 2017.
Just as fans were finding out running back Elijah Hood was declaring for the NFL Draft, the Tar Heels' best player, star quarterback Mitch Trubisky announced via The Players' Tribune that he was to forgo his senior season to enter the NFL Draft.
This does not come as much of a surprise, especially since Trubisky's favorite target and good friend, wideout Ryan Switzer is a senior. But one fact cannot be downplayed: The opportunity to go to the NFL should be cherished, and sometimes simply over weighs being able to play with your brothers for one more season.
The pro-style quarterback has scouts oozing over his talent, but as he showcased in the Holiday Bowl, the 22-year old is inexperienced and makes crucial mistakes. Additionally, he only started his junior year because of the presence of Marquise Williams. Will he be ready for the big leagues?
It all depends on where he goes. His draft stock is currently peaking around the first round. Last year, we saw two QB-needy teams trade up to the top of the draft to take a quarterback that may have not been ready. Both of these QB's, Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, started at one point in the season and each had his own share of struggles. But their teams were not alike, setting up one for success and the other for failure.
If Trubisky gets drafted by a team that struggles to run the ball and protect the QB, such as the Rams, he will likely struggle mightily as Goff did. But if a decent team trades up to draft the 6'3 product, there could be flashes of immediate success. This is something mostly out of his control, but his short-term, and possibly long-term fate could be impacted based on which city he will head to.
Going to a good, stable organization would be very conducive to success for a rookie. But Mitch's best place to go would be somewhere he could learn behind a veteran quarterback. With only one year of college experience under his belt, standing on the sidelines and learning how to play the quarterback position in the NFL would do wonders. Unfortunately, there aren't many places like this in the league. The Arizona Cardinals, with Carson Palmer aging but a defense and superstar David Johnson hungry for success, could be a solid fit. The future must be looked at in the desert.
Overall, the decision to head to the National Football League is always a very tough one. Could it end up being the wrong decision for Trubisky? That question can't really be answered until we see how his situation plays out. Let's just pray he's not heading to Cleveland come April.
