Chicago Bears: Evaluating Trubisky among 2017 quarterback draft class
By John Sweas
Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky played his first season as full-time starter in 2018. Let’s see how he did compared to the other two 2017 first-round QBs.
“With the second pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select Mitchell Trubisky, quarterback, North Carolina.” When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell uttered those words into a microphone on April 27, 2017, the Bears shocked the football world. They had just signed Mike Glennon to a three-year deal to be their starting quarterback, so why draft another quarterback?
That wasn’t all that was shocking about that pick, though. Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes were still on the draft board when the Bears picked Trubisky. Watson, a former national champion at the University of Clemson, and Mahomes, a two-year starter at the University of Texas Tech with outstanding numbers.
Trubisky started just thirteen games in college at the University of North Carolina. He put up good numbers in college, but not numbers typical of the first quarterback selected in the draft.
Oh yeah, they also traded up to get Trubisky. To move up one spot, the Bears sent the No. 3 pick, their third-round pick, one of their fourth-round picks (all in the 2017 draft), and a 2018 third-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers.
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To put it lightly, the reviews were mixed on the Bears’ first pick of the 2017 draft.
Mahomes went on to be drafted 10th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs, while Watson went to the Houston Texans, who had the No. 12 pick.
It is because of the happenings in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft that football fans were so enamored with Trubisky during the 2018 NFL regular season. Some, because they believe he had a breakout season. Others, because they believe the Bears drafted the wrong guy, as Watson had a superb season and Mahomes had an all-time great season.
Let’s assess each quarterbacks’ 2018 season (for Mahomes, season so far), starting with Trubisky.