The Chicago Bears Mitch Trubisky draft narrative was pretty much set by the national media seconds after the pick was made. Tones may have differed, but the general opinion was the same. Not only had the Bears taken a player many felt wasn’t worth that high a pick, but they’d given up way too much in their trade from #3 to #2 to secure him.
For the next week the organization took hellacious beating from the press. Some went so far as to call it the move that would get GM Ryan Pace fired. Never mind the fact that several respected pundits like Peter King, Ron Wolf and Bill Polian applauded the move. Both for its execution and intention. It was a dumb, dumb, dumb decision.
Or was it? Steadily over the past couple weeks more and more information has come out. Sources that continue to hint the Bears not only got the best quarterback in the draft, but maybe the best one to come out of college in years.
Chicago Bears Mitch Trubisky move a brilliant ploy?
Pace said after he made the move to get Trubisky that he felt it unwise to sit on his hands. He wants to be great. He thinks the young QB is a huge step towards that. John Mullin of CSN Chicago continued to reach out around the league for opinions on the subject. Some of the responses he got back were surprising. In the best way possible.
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“Two AFC scouts revealed that they had the highest grade on Trubisky that they’d had on any quarterback over the past six years. That means: higher than Jameis Winston; higher than Marcus Mariota; higher than Cam Newton; higher than Russell Wilson; higher than Andrew Luck; higher than Derek Carr; higher than Carson Wentz.
The evaluation of one NFC regional scouting team was that “Trubisky is an almost perfect quarterback prospect” and that ‘the Bears should count their lucky stars he only started 13 games because if he was a two-year starter, he goes 1/1 [overall No. 1] without hesitation.”
Wow. That’s quite the high praise. In a way it makes sense. Throughout the draft process, the singular issue every expert raised about Trubisky was the same. He doesn’t have the experience. He hasn’t played enough games. Not his size or his arm strength, accuracy, poise, leadership or work ethic. Just the fact he chose to come out of college after just 13 career starts. Some hold the belief he’d be the hands down top pick in the 2018 draft had he gone back for another year.
Less than one minute left, Sun Bowl Championship, down by 8 … what a throw.
Be excited Chicago. #Trubisky #Bears #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/wnVzb0v4w2
— ✶ Sports Mockery ✶ (@sportsmockery) April 30, 2017
Thinking ahead
Ironically by coming out early he knocked down his value just enough for the Bears to pounce for him. Think of it as a Larry Bird scenario. In 1978 the Boston Celtics selected Bird sixth overall. This despite the fact he was returning to college for one more season. In essence they had invested in the future rather than taking an immediate need. Bird signed with them upon completion of his senior year and went on to become an all-time great.
That is similar to what the Bears just did. They took a player who probably won’t play until the next year but in the long run can end up being great. It’s really the first time a GM has thought that way for this franchise in a long, long time. Refreshing isn’t nearly a strong enough word to encompass that feeling.
All fans can do at this point is drink in the comments and hope they are 100% true.
