Chicago Bears: Fatal Flaws for each High Profile QB in the Draft

Mitch Trubisky: Pocket Presence/decision-making

Mitch Trubisky represents many qualities of a pocket passer. First of all, Trubisky stands at 6’3 and possesses one of the best arms in the draft. He delivers deep balls with relative ease and surprises many with his athleticism. However, Trubisky still needs to work on a few things if he wants to be a successful quarterback in the NFL.

To begin, Trubisky’s pocket presence is suspect to say the least. Whenever Trubisky feels pressure, his feet go everywhere. In this respect, he mirrors Jay Cutler in a number of ways, both good and bad. His athleticism and arm strength allowed him to make a wild 40-yard pass in the Sun Bowl, but it also led to a few poor throws and unnecessary sacks. So far, Trubisky tends to roll out to his right and spin back towards the middle of the field when facing pressure. It worked when he delivered a late touchdown in the Sun Bowl, but it also got him sacked on the game-tying two-point conversion.

Unfortunately, Trubisky’s decision-making draws another parallel to Cutler. His arm allows him to make virtually every throw, but it also baits him into making poor decisions. The junior had two or more turnovers in three separate games and the Tar Heels coincidentally lost all three. Once more, the Sun Bowl showed Trubisky’s shortcomings in this area. He threw a pick on a crossing route that a safety baited him into. Trubisky stared down his target and forced the throw despite the safety breaking on the ball. Trubisky’s second interception came on zone coverage. He lobbed a ball to his running back on a wheel route which the cornerback easily intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Trubisky should have delivered the ball far sooner if he wanted to target his running back. If not, he should have waited for his receivers to pick apart the zone coverage.

Trubisky has been tied to the Chicago Bears for some time now, but he maintains many of the qualities which make Cutler a controversial figure in the Windy City.