North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky’s lack of college experience is a concern among NFL scouts that could impact his stock for the 2017 NFL Draft, but to an AFC executive, the Tar Heels’ one-year starter has the look of one of the NFL’s most promising young passers.
"Call me crazy but I see a little Derek Carr in his game," an AFC senior personnel executive told NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks. "From the poise, decisiveness and quick delivery to the precision passing and athleticism, he looks like the real deal."
Carr was the fourth quarterback selected in the 2014 draft as an early second-round pick of the Oakland Raiders. He was drafted behind Blake Bortles (Jacksonville Jaguars), Johnny Manziel (Cleveland Browns) and Teddy Bridgewater (Minnesota Vikings), but has been the most effective of the four. Carr has started 47 of 48 regular-season games over three seasons in Oakland, and led the club to a playoff berth last year before a season-ending injury.
Of course, one key difference between Carr and Trubisky as draft prospects was that Carr had a deep foundation of experience for NFL coaches and scouts to evaluate. Carr started for three full seasons at Fresno State, amassing 39 career starts and 1,630 pass attempts. Trubisky’s game film runs out on scouts after 13 starts and 386 passes.
That wasn’t lost on the executive.
"The inexperience bothers me and I can’t stop wondering why he couldn’t beat out Marquise Williams (for two seasons)," he said.
Trubisky is considered one of the top three quarterbacks available in the draft, along with Clemson’s Deshaun Watson and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer. If Trubisky slips to the second round like Carr, and delivers Carr-like production over his first three years, the team that selects him will be thrilled.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.
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