What do we make of one-hit wonder quarterback prospect Mitch Trubisky?
He launched 30 touchdowns, just 6 interceptions and completed 68 percent of his passes during the 2016 season. But why wasn’t he able to earn the starting job well before this?
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Trubisky will be poked, prodded and examined by 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch in March at the NFL Scouting combine in Indianapolis, where the new regime will determine if the UNC prospect has the skill set to become a franchise quarterback.
Shanahan and Lynch could be excited to hear new information about Trubisky Wednesday on KNBR 1050’s The Audible, where Tar Heels coach Larry Fedora told us don’t doubt his quarterback’s mental abilities on a football field.
“In our offense, he pretty much is deciding whether we’re going to run it or throw it on just about 75 percent to 80 percent of every call that goes into the game,” Fedora said. “So he’s making that decision based on what the defense is giving him pre-snap and what the defense is giving him post-snap.
“Throughout the year I think, one, you saw him continue to improve in his decision making process. The guy makes really good decisions. He doesn’t press the ball into areas it shouldn’t go. His arm strength is already there. His command of the offense, his command leadership wise, all of those improved throughout the entire season.”
Giving a first-year starting quarterback the reigns to pick his own plays is a strong sign Trubisky’s football awareness is advanced. Besides accuracy, the No. 1 requirement in a Shanahan offense at quarterback is smarts — pre-snap reads, adapting to small adjustments in 17-word play calls, helping decide the game plan during the week. If Shanahan can sense that Trubisky has the mental aptitude to handle all of this in the future, he might realistically become the 49ers’ top quarterback target — but he almost certainly won’t last until the second round.
Regardless, unless Shanahan creates a bridge system in Year 1 of his tenure — like he did for Robert Griffin in 2012 with Washington — it’s highly unlikely a rookie will be able to step in Week 1 and play right away for San Francisco.
And Trubisky’s flaws are as clear as night and day. There’s no telling how they’ll transfer to the NFL. Fedora said 95 percent of the Tar Heels’ snaps came out the shotgun. That means his footwork and marrying his eyes to his feet will take a ton of time. Other recent spread quarterbacks have failed mightily in the NFL — Johnny Manziel, Brandon Weeden, Kevin Kolb, Geno Smith, John Beck and Nick Foles. Cam Newton, Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick are spread QB’s who have had NFL success.
Secondly, Fedora’s UNC playbook was simplified verbally — now a common way to scheme at the college football level. Play calls were either a few words or hand signals from the sidelines.
“Depending on what they do, a lot of the NFL now is splitting probably 50-50 with under center and in the gun,” Fedora said. “So he’s going to have to learn the footwork it takes under center when you turn your back to the defense. And the second thing: We try and streamline what we do offensively to make it as simple as possible for you verbally. The NFL, it’s the opposite. You got 20-word play calls. I think for every quarterback coming out of college they have to learn that system.”
But as the 49ers remodel their entire image, both internally and externally, leadership skills will not be ignored, especially at quarterback. All college football coaches stand up for their guys. Still, Fedora wanted to make sure everyone was aware of what kind of young man Trubisky has turned into in three seasons at Chapel Hill.
“That’s the thing he’s probably improved the most over his time here,” Fedora said. “He’s become a great leader, a great teammate, a guy that everyone can count on. We don’t really believe in leading by example, you are just doing your job as a leader. So that’s not really leading by example. He does a great job of raising the guys around him and making them better. He does that through the way he plays and the way he works. But he also does that and has a knack for it, reaching out to guys and having a relationship with them. That’s something he will be do a great job at at the next level.