The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Trubisky near-perfect at Tar Heels’ pro day
Mentor grad seeks to put best foot forward as NFL draft looms in April
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. >> On a perfect, clear-sky, 75-degree day at the University of North Carolina, Mitchell Trubisky performed as expected. Just about perfect. The Mentor High graduate arrived at the team’s outdoor practice field March 21 with a smile, and was in his element with his college buddies and receivers such as Ryan Switzer and Bug Howard. In short, he put on quite a show in front of what UNC officials said was just about every NFL team.
If only the Browns’ decision on Day 1 of the NFL draft were this simple. Perhaps it is, if the team has settled on selecting Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett No. 1 overall. If they are wavering, the Trubisky Train might continue gaining steam.
The Browns had two scouts in attendance. Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown and Coach Hue Jackson weren’t in attendance; there weren’t many — if any — head coaches at the UNC pro day.
Trubisky said after his performance, which included only passing drills, he has a meeting scheduled with the Browns between now and April 27, the first day of the draft. Because he’s from Northeast Ohio, Trubisky can interview with the Browns in Berea and work out with the team, he said.
One NFL higher-up in attendance was 49ers general manager John Lynch, whose team holds the No. 2 overall pick. It’s a spot where the team could take Trubisky off the board — if the Browns pass on him at No. 1.
Trubisky threw 61 passes at the pro day, and completed 52, with four of those incompletions drops. On short throws, he was 23 of 27. On long ones, he was 29 of 33.
Before Trubisky threw a pass, his college coach Larry Fedora made the rounds and talked with Lynch for a while. He didn’t need to see a pass to confirm his belief Trubisky is worth the No. 1 overall pick.
“Sure he is,” Fedora said. “The quarterback is going to be the face of your team for 10, 20 years down the road. Ask any of those teams who have one if he’s worth it or not. He’s got the whole package. First, he’s a great person and he’s going to represent your team on and off the field. He’s a great leader. He raises the level of the guys around him.
“He’s got great arm strength and can make every throw there is, and he doesn’t have to be balanced to make that throw. He can throw it sideways, anyway you need it, but the best he’s got is accuracy. And he makes great decisions.”
If the Browns pass on Trubisky at No. 1 overall, it likely won’t be long April 27 until he is picked.
Trubisky said it has been “an interesting journey” since he declared for the draft after a redshirt junior season during which he threw for 3,748 yards and 30 touchdowns with just six interceptions. He completed 68 percent of his passes.
Following his workout, Trubisky said reuniting with his college teammates — “his boys,” as he calls them — was the fun part of UNC’s pro day. The fact all eyes and cameras were on him didn’t make a difference.
“If you think of it that way, you can put pressure on yourself,” Trubisky said. “But no one puts more pressure on myself than me. You can have as many cameras on me as you want, I’m still going to be the hardest on me than anyone out here.”
That because since declaring, he has heard two things continuously:
• Why did it take him three seasons to become UNC’s starter?
• Is he ready for the NFL after just 13 college starts?
“I just say, ‘I had a different journey,’ ” Trubisky said. “Even though I hated being a backup, I embraced my role.”
Until the draft, Trubisky will continue living in Chapel Hill, where teams, per league rules, can visit and put him through private workouts.
In addition to the Browns, Trubisky said he has meetings set up the Jets, 49ers, Chiefs and Cardinals, as well as “a few others,” he said.
“The quarterback is going to be the face of your team for 10, 20 years down the road. Ask any of those teams who have one if he’s worth it or not.”