NFL DRAFT NEWS

Trubisky solid but not spectacular at UNC Pro Day

The Sports Xchange

March 21, 2017 at 2:27 pm.

Dec 30, 2016; El Paso, TX, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) throws the ball against the Stanford Cardinal defense at Sun Bowl Stadium. Photo Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports

Dec 30, 2016; El Paso, TX, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) throws the ball against the Stanford Cardinal defense at Sun Bowl Stadium. Photo Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports

Continuing the positive momentum he created at the Scouting Combine a couple weeks ago, North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky completed approximately 63 of 70 passes during a scripted throwing session on Tuesday attended by an estimated 75 scouts representing virtually every NFL team.

Among the big names in attendance were San Francisco 49ers’ general manager John Lynch and Pittsburgh Steelers’ general manager Kevin Colbert, two clubs potentially in need of a young quarterback. No NFL head coaches attended the workout.

The Cleveland Browns, owners of the No. 1 and No. 12 overall picks and with a clear need at quarterback, were conspicuously absent. The club reportedly has a private workout already set up with Trubisky, an Ohio native.

Trubisky also has upcoming meetings scheduled with the 49ers, the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets, according to Pro Football Talk.

Trubisky, a possible top five pick and NFLDraftScout.com’s top-rated quarterback for the 2017 draft, elected to stand on his impressive Combine performance when it came to the measurable drills, which preceded a throwing session that one observer on hand for the workout characterized as “solid, but not spectacular.”

Trubisky started his workout with several short passes to the flats and across the middle with a “rusher” forcing him to move. The drill demonstrated the quick feet and balance that stood out on tape and wowed scouts at the NFL Scouting Combine with his 4.67-second 40-yard dash.

As the workout continued, Trubisky delivered several impressive tosses down the field that showed off his touch and velocity. Despite throwing outdoors in gusty conditions, Trubisky was consistently accurate, though he did occasionally force receivers to adjust to passes slightly behind them.

One clear exception, however, was a rollout to his right late in the throwing session in which he sailed a deep corner over his intended receiver.

The 6-foot-2, 222-pound Trubisky is often knocked for his less-than-ideal 13 career starts (all in 2016) but he is surprisingly polished, showing a quick set-up and delivery of the ball, as well as the ability to throw from different platforms. As he was chased Tuesday, Trubisky showed off his improvisational skills, firing passes over the top, from a three-quarters delivery and even side-armed.

There were several drops of catchable passes, lowering Trubisky’s completion rate but overall it was a very solid performance, similar to the one he had in Indianapolis and what Clemson’s star Deshaun Watson (one of Trubisky’s top competitors) showed at his Pro Day last week.

Trubisky was obviously the star attraction but the NFL scouts and coaches on hand showed plenty of interest in North Carolina’s “other” prospects, a list which included six more Tar Heels invited to the Combine, including running backs Elijah Hood and T.J. Logan, wide receivers Mack Hollins, Bug Howard and Ryan Switzer and defensive tackle Nazair Jones.

Hollins, who led the nation with an average of 24.8 yards per reception last year, was unable to work out after pulling his hamstring during 40-yard dash testing last month in Indianapolis.

The Cincinnati Bengals seemed especially interested in the Tar Heels’ duo of runners with positional coach Kyle Caskey putting Howard and Logan through drills. The Bengals, of course, already have a former North Carolina running back on the roster in former second-round pick Giovani Bernard.

Meanwhile, it was a representative of the Chicago Bears putting Jones through his workout.

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