The Mitch Trubisky hometown of Mentor, Ohio went into NFL draft weekend with plenty of expectations. They knew their local hero was getting selected early. All the experts indicated that would be the case. The big question was when and by whom. There were plenty of suitors discussed. Of course the nearby Cleveland Browns were the favorite. They were followed closely by the 49ers, Jets and Bills.
Over the past few months people have worked hard to gauge reaction of Chicago Bears fans when the team took him #2 overall. Multiple quotes and videos have shown everybody from the fans to the media were stunned by the move. Nobody, not even other teams around the league saw it coming. A testament to the misdirection campaign put forth by GM Ryan Pace.
So one can imagine the reaction by the hometown fans in Mentor when Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the pick.
Mitch Trubisky hometown gives mixed reaction
First off, it’s not exactly an explosion of enthusiasm. Sure there’s plenty of loud cheers but watch the crowd upon the initial announcement. There are wide smiles but also a generous mix of stunned silence and surprise looks. It’s safe to say that a portion of the crowd were taken aback when the Bears made their bold move to get him.
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That of course was hammered home by Jeff Cassella, the athletic director of Trubisky’s own Mentor High School. He no doubt was involved to a small degree informing teams about who they’d be getting in the young QB and what he accomplished in school. So for him to express that clear surprise when he was more in the loop, imagine how other people felt.