Is QB Mitch Trubisky a Top-5 Lock in the 2017 NFL Draft?

NFL teams are desperate for franchise-caliber quarterbacks. We see that every April when the NFL draft rolls around. In an attempt to fill the most important position on the roster, general managers, scouts and coaches shine up quarterbacks with question marks, baggage and blemishes.

The 2017 draft class isn't supposed to have a franchise quarterback. That's what other analysts and I have been saying for months. Deshaun Watson throws too many interceptions. DeShone Kizer got benched on a bad Notre Dame team. Patrick Mahomes is two or more years away from being ready to handle the intricacies of an NFL offense. And Mitch Trubisky only started one year in college.

Does that matter, though? Not to one NFL general manager I spoke with last week. "[Trubisky] is a top-five lock," he said. A top-five lock? Sounds like a franchise quarterback, right? Most in the NFL are starting to agree.

To get from one-year starter to franchise savior, we have to back up and talk about Mr. Biscuit. That's Trubisky, by the way.

He was Ohio's Mr. Football as a high school quarterback in Mentor and dreamed of playing for the Cleveland Browns—a chance he may get as soon as next season, depending on what the team decides to do in Round 1 of the draft. Back in high school, Trubisky was a star and a stud, but the Ohio State Buckeyes had their eyes on other quarterbacks. Ultimately, the North Carolina staff won him over. 

Arriving on campus, Trubisky had to wait his turn. That, wide receiver Ryan Switzer says, helped make him who he is today: "In terms of his work ethic, I think his persistence over the course of our college years speaks for itself. The reason he had the season he had this year is because of the work he put in the previous three years. It would've been easy for him to pack up and go elsewhere. There were plenty of conversations we had together about what he should do, but he stayed true to the course and prepped every rep in practice or OTAs like it was a game."

Switzer says it’s not just Trubisky's arm that makes him special, but his "anticipation and knack for knowing how things are going to unfold. His communication on the sideline after a series about what he saw in the secondary and what would work better in terms of play concepts was phenomenal." 

That's what scouts who visit Chapel Hill come away shaking their heads about. In an era when many believe highly recruited athletes are too entitled, Trubisky waited his turn behind Marquise Williams and excelled when he got his shot.

So what do scouts say about this North Carolina quarterback? "Smart. Accurate. Poised. Athletic. Smooth." That's what one area scout sent back when I asked him to describe Trubisky in five words.

The accuracy is notable, considering he completed 68 percent of his throws during the 2016 season. Per my charting, he had an impressive 75 percent accuracy rate, which takes into account dropped passes. NFL scouts like to say accuracy doesn't improve from college to the NFL. It gets worse. Which makes it all the more important that Trubisky's baseline accuracy is superior to the rest of the 2017 class'.

In a year when there are no Andrew Lucks or Jameis Winstons, accuracy and upside are the calling cards Trubisky can hang his hat on. But one thing a scout pointed out to me is where Trubisky can place himself above the competition: "Not enough people are giving him credit for having an amazing year as a first-year starter. And by the way, he threw almost as many passes in college as Carson Wentz did."

That last bit is true—Wentz threw 612 passes in college, and Trubisky tossed 572.

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

If we're to believe Trubisky is a top-five lock, where does he land? Cleveland, San Francisco and Chicago all need quarterbacks and pick in the first three slots of the first round. Can the Mentor native return to his roots and save the Browns?

The likeliest landing spot is San Francisco, where new head coach Kyle Shanahan will favor a smart, accurate quarterback who can run his zone scheme with bootlegs and play-action passes. Trubisky's mobility is a major plus there, as is his skill set as a thrower on the move. 

And while I believe Trubisky's arm strength and ability to handle cold weather intrigue the Bears, all signs point to a serious interest in New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, with CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora reporting that the Bears are ready "to make a real run" for him. Should that fall through, Trubisky to Chicago is in play.

While there are many uncertainties as we truly enter draft season, one thing is for sure: NFL scouts and general managers are convinced Trubisky is the best quarterback in the 2017 class.