PHILADELPHIA — North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky is expected to be the first quarterback taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Where he’ll go is anyone’s guess.
The Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears own the top three picks, respectively, and they all need a franchise quarterback. So do the New York Jets with the No. 6 pick, and Trubisky recently worked out with them.
“It was good. They worked me out and I visited New York,” Trubisky said Wednesday after an NFL PLAY 60 event at Shriners Hospital for Children. “I really enjoyed the coaching staff, learned a lot from them. I felt I had a really good workout for them as well.”
The Jets also met with Trubisky at his pro day. Clearly they have some interest in taking him despite their glaring needs on defense.
“Above average, (but) I don’t really know how you could scale that,” Trubisky said when asked to compare the Jets’ interest in him to other teams.
“But I think a lot of the teams that are seriously taking a good look at me have done their research because I don’t have as much film as all the other guys. But I’ve shown what I’m able to do and what I can do at the next level, so (the Jets have) done their research. They have a great coaching staff and I had a good workout with them. I would say they have shown interest.”
Trubisky doesn’t have a ton of film because he started only one season for North Carolina. He threw for 3,478 yards with 30 touchdown passes and six interceptions while leading the Tar Heels to an 8-5 record last season.
His stats as a first-year starter were very good, and he has the arm strength, pocket awareness and maturity to be a successful starting QB at the next level. The challenge for teams is determining whether one year of film is enough to accurately evaluate how he’ll transition to the pros. After all, Drafting the wrong quarterback can set a team back several seasons.
Thumbnail photo via James Guillory/USA TODAY Sports Images
