Rookie SWOT: Mitchell Trubisky

Bruce Matson Posted On July 30, 2017

Position: Quarterback
Pro Team: Chicago Bears
College Team: North Carolina
Draft Status: Round One, Pick No. 2 Overall

Video Highlights

Combine Review

Height: 6’2’’
Weight: 222 Pounds
Hands: 9 ½’’
Arm Length: 32’’
Bench Press: N/A
40-Yard-Dash: 4.67
3-Cone: 6.87
Vertical Jump: 27.5
Broad Jump: 116.0

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Strengths

Trubisky is very mobile in the pocket and he has the ability to scramble out of it to avoid danger if the play breaks down. He also does a great job at making his pre-snap and post-snap reads, which allows him to quickly go through his progressions to find the open receiver. The playbook is going to be entirely open to him because he has the arm strength to make every throw. He has great footwork and rarely makes any throws off balance. With a 68.0 percent completion rate, he’s a very accurate passer as well. Somehow, he even managed to complete 40 of his 47 pass attempts during his sophomore season. He’s also capable of stepping up his game against top level competition, with stellar performances against Florida State and Pittsburgh last year, though the sample size is very small.

Weaknesses

Trubisky lacks awareness in the pocket, allowing it to collapse before he can get rid of the football – this raises the stakes for turnovers and sacks which will kill drives, hurting the offense’s ability to score points. The majority of his snaps came out of shotgun, so he will need to spend a good deal of his time learning the proper footwork in order to drop back from under center as well. He lacks touch on some of his deeper passes, providing the opportunity for defensive backs to be able to disrupt some of the passes thrown deep downfield.

Opportunities

Unlike most young quarterbacks, he’s going to be able to operate with a long leash because the Chicago Bears traded the No. 3 pick, a third-round pick (No. 67), a fourth-round pick (No. 111) and a 2018 third-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers in order to acquire his services. The team is going to give him every opportunity possible to succeed and should be patient with him even though he will get the keys to the car early in his career and be the face of the franchise.

The Bears finished the 2016 season with a 3-13 record while placing dead last in the NFC North, but the team does have some skilled players who can help Trubisky during the developmental phases of his career. Jordan Howard gave the offense a pulse last year by rushing for 1,313 yards and six touchdowns. The Bears do have some talent at wide receiver as Cameron Meredith is returning from a breakout season and Kevin White is a highly athletic former first-round pick who is looking to finally put something together in 2017. The team also has some crafty veterans in Kendall Wright, Markus Wheaton and Victor Cruz. It may not be one of the best wide receiver units in the league, but there’s a large enough mix of talented prospects and experience veterans to help expedite his development.

Threats

There shouldn’t be many external threats because he’s a No. 2 overall pick and should get every opportunity to succeed. The worst thing the Bears can do is to expect too much out of him early in his career and get frustrated with him if his skill sets don’t progress at an accelerated rate. His game could crumble if the team doesn’t take the necessary measures to get the appropriate talent around him to make his transition from college to the NFL as smooth as possible.

Short-Term Expectations

Veteran quarterback Mike Glennon should be the starter going into this season, though Trubisky should take over as the team’s starting quarterback sometime during his rookie year. It’s hard to see Glennon putting it together and leading this team to the playoffs, so it appears imminent Trubisky will be “the guy” for the Bears sooner than later.

Like most young quarterbacks, he will more than likely struggle during the early portions of his career. He should be valued as a QB2 in the first few years at best. Dynasty owners will need to be patient and not get disgruntled if he’s not contributing to their fantasy teams right away.

Long-Term Expectations

Hopefully Trubisky develops into one of the best starting quarterbacks in the league. He has the arm and accuracy to make it happen, but like most prospects, he will need to fully develop to become a solid starting quarterback. There are a lot of unforeseen variables like passing volume and game scripts that will dictate his value in fantasy, but more than likely, he will be a QB2 with low-end QB1 upside.

NFL Comparison

Trubisky drew caparisons to Aaron Rodgers during the draft process due to his strong arm and his ability to move in the pocket. They’re both similar athletes who are capable of outrunning defenders while scrambling to pick up extra yardage. Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and it’s very unlikely that Trubisky will have a similar career path. Still, it’s a positive comparison athletically that gives owners some hope.

Projected Range for Rookie Drafts

Per DLF ’s rookie ADP, Trubisky is currently considered a late third to an early fourth-round pick in rookie drafts with an ADP of 38.00. He’s being selected as the third quarterback off the board behind Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. This is a very palatable price tag for him, because he’s being drafted in the range where most of the players are considered longshots to ever become fantasy relevant. We know that Trubisky is definitely going to get the chance to start, giving him more opportunity compared to a lot of the players that are getting selected in his range.

He’s worth making the investment in 2QB and Superflex leagues due to the added value the quarterback position receives in those formats. With that being said, he will contribute to your team in the near future as either a flex play or an extra option at quarterback.

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Bruce Matson

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

I'm a financial counselor for a hospital in South Central Ohio. I graduated from Muskingum University with a bachelor's in business while minoring in Economics and Accounting. I won my first fantasy football title with Jake Plummer as my quarterback.