Why Mitchell Trubisky Will Be the Next NFL Bust
Each NFL draft class is unique in the aspect that some positions will have great depth while others are scarce. Most scouts, general managers and front office executives are in agreement that this is a deep cornerback and running back class, while it is a poor quarterback and offensive line draft. With this year being a poor quarterback class in the aspect that there is no clear cut number one quarterback or even a quarterback that is viewed as a top five talent speculation remains in regards to whether or not any of these quarterbacks can be the franchise player that many teams covet. Mitchell Trubisky, generally regarded as one of the top three quarterbacks will be a bust as a result of his lack of experience, his decisions under pressure and his college system he played in at the University of North Carolina.
Mitchell Trubisky will become a bust due to his lack of experience. In Trubisky's three years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he was only a starter for his Junior season, starting in 13 games. What makes this more concerning when scouting Trubisky is the fact that he was unable to beat out UDFA Marquise Williams. This is a red flag that has NFL teams concerned as an AFC scout told NFL Network's Bucky Brooks, "I just worry about the one-year wonder deal and the fact that he couldn't beat out Marquise Williams for two years. I don't care what anyone says. If he was (that good), he should've been able to win the starting job. There's something wrong with that!" Although Trubisky may not see this as an issue it would make it even more challenging for a team to justify using an early round 1st round draft pick on a player who has only shown his abilities on the college level for one year, especially a quarterback. Rarely do players with a lack of college experience exceed on the next level.
"I just worry about the one-year wonder deal and the fact that he couldn't beat out Marquise Williams for two years. I don't care what anyone says. If he was (that good), he should've been able to win the starting job. There's something wrong with that!"
Through reviewing Trubisky's game film it is obvious that his inexperience leaves him often perplexed and confused while under pressure or at crucial moments of the game. This was an issue that wasn't isolated but was seen in a multitude of games, occasionally costing his team the game. The occasion that best shows Trubisky crumbling under pressure was the disappointing interception against Duke throwing off his back foot with pressure coming costing his team the game. This is seen at 9:32 in the video below.
This play simply shows why he won't succeed. The lack of pocket awareness forces him to make a quick decision. Ultimately, instead of playing it safe and taking the sack or throwing it away he chooses to force it. Many high level quarterbacks in the NFL occasionally force passes, but they normally don't do it at crucial moments unless it is necessary. What makes this even worse is that this wasn't the classic case of a quarterback trying to force a pass, it was a fadeaway pass off of the back foot, something a quarterback should never do. What makes this more concerning is the fact that it was unnecessary in this scenario as North Carolina still had two timeouts and over a minute left. If Trubisky wants to be successful on Sunday afternoons he needs improve his situational awareness in crunch time and while under pressure. This has also left an impact on NFL teams as according to Bucky Brooks an AFC Area Scout said, "There are times he looks like another Carson Wentz and then there are times he looks like Blaine Gabbert. He has starting qualities and he'll go early, but he better get better at seeing blitzes and throwing hot or he'll get eaten alive by the exotic packages they are throwing at quarterbacks these days."
"There are times he looks like another Carson Wentz and then there are times he looks like Blaine Gabbert. He has starting qualities and he'll go early, but he better get better at seeing blitzes and throwing hot or he'll get eaten alive by the exotic packages they are throwing at quarterbacks these days."
The final indicator that Mitchell Trubisky will be a bust is due to the system he was in during his college career. The reality that he didn't call offensive line protections nor audible during his college career should create a challenge for him in his first year while going up against elite defenses. Additionally, the lack of snaps under center (98% of his college snaps in the shotgun formation) could prove to be a challenging when attempting to transition to NFL defenses. His college play style of quick short throws, frequently behind the line of scrimmage won't help him as well. In the Sun Bowl vs. Stanford, arguably the best team North Carolina faced all year Trubisky struggled against a pro-style defense, throwing two horrible inceptions despite the quick-hitting offensive system he played in. If Trubisky is to become a high caliber NFL quarterback he will have to answer these question marks, but until then the position that he will become a bust can be justified.
