Mitch Trubisky, quarterback, North Carolina
Depending on who you ask, Trubisky could go as high as No. 2 overall to the San Francisco 49ers. He could also drop down to the last pick in the first round, where the New Orleans Saints might want to find an eventual successor to Drew Brees.
But what if Trubisky’s lack of experience at the college level starts to concern NFL teams the closer we get to the draft? It’s already something Bruce Arians mentioned has been “bugging me” as he contemplates drafting Carson Palmer’s replacement.
Here’s a guy that started just one season at North Carolina and attempted a grand total of 572 passes in college. To put this into perspective, former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson put up 579 pass attempts last season alone.
There’s two ways scouts and teams can go about this. As to where Watson’s ceiling might be more limited, his floor is higher. The same can be said for other potential first-round picks at this position.
As it relates to Trubisky, his floor is incredibly low. He’s a high-risk proposition in an industry that inundated with high risks, especially at quarterback. That could potentially push Trubisky down further come draft day.
There’s definitely some concern over Trubisky’s lack of experience around the NFL.
“There are times he looks like another Carson Wentz and then there are times he looks like Blaine Gabbert,” one NFL scout just recently told NFL.com. “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.”
In a draft that’s absolutely stacked at other positions, are teams willing to exhaust a first-round pick on this type of risk? It’s surely a fair question to ask as the event in Philadelphia nears.