Who Will Be the Next Mitchell Trubisky in College Football
In the NFL it is known that the most important position is QB and it’s not even close. Sure there are teams who win with a defensive juggernaut like the Seahawks or the Broncos, but if a team does not have at least a decent QB, playoff chances are slim to none. For the most part, QBs used to be bona-fide stars in college football who were projected into the NFL since their freshman or sophomore years like Andrew Luck at Stanford or Carson Palmer at USC. Teams handed these types of QBs the keys to the team in hopes they could re-vamp their franchises and so far, some have worked out for the better. But recently, history is beginning to depict a different type of QB taking the NFL Draft by storm and the movement has picked up steam over the last few years.
Since the 2012 NFL Draft, seven names stick out the most; seven QBs who went from future projects taken in the second or third round to top picks within a year. These seven QBs are:
2017- Mitchell Trubisky- drafted #2 overall by Chicago
2017- Patrick Mahomes- drafted #10 overall by Kansas City
2016- Carson Wentz- drafted #2 overall by Philadelphia
2014- Blake Bortles- drafted #3 overall by Jacksonville
2013- EJ Manuel- drafted #16 overall by Buffalo
2012- Ryan Tannehill- drafted #8 overall by Miami
2011- Christian Ponder- drafted #12 overall by Minnesota
Why these seven QBs were chosen is because at one point or another in their college career, they went from “he has potential” type of prospects to “he has NFL starter” potential within a small period of time. These QBs were also chosen because they were either surprises in the draft or leapfrogged other QBs who were projected to be ahead of them in the draft. For example; entering this past season, DeShaun Watson was projected as a top 5 pick and come draft night, Trubisky was the first QB drafted and Watson was the third behind Mahomes. Two seasons ago, Paxton Lynch was lauded as one of the top two QBs in the draft and in the end, Wentz was drafted #2 overall and Lynch fell to #26. Other QBs mentioned including Ponder and Manuel were not viewed as top draft picks but come draft night, teams thought otherwise as they were both draft in the top 20.
After looking back at previous drafts and noticing this trend, it is apparent that we will likely see this trend continue into this season and there are a few names to watch for come September.
Josh Allen | Wyoming
Like Wentz, Josh Allen is a big QB who came on late last season for Wyoming which led to the speculation about his future in the NFL. Come thought he could have entered the 2017 Draft and if so, he might have ended up being drafted in the top 10 due to his combination of size, arm strength and mobility. Some regard Allen as the early favorite for the top QB spot in the 2018 Draft and if the hype continues, expect him to see a rise in draft boards similar to Wentz.
Luke Falk | Washington State
Now unlike Josh Allen, Washington State’s Luke Falk is not projected as a top pick in the 2018 Draft but I think they may change some time this season. Falk is one of my favorite QBs in college football and while he may not possess the same mobility as Allen or even Sam Darnold, he makes up for it with his pocket awareness, leadership, and his ability to throw some of the prettiest passes in all of college football. I’m not saying Falk will leapfrog every other QB and go #1 overall in the draft, but don’t be surprised if you hear his name called in the first round and eventually land a starting role somewhere in the future.
Mason Rudolph | Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State’s gunslinger Mason Rudolph is the definition of potential at the next level. Rudolph has an NFL body and a great arm to match which are two things teams look or in a developmental QB. Even though Rudolph commands a spread offense in college, there is no denying his ability to make big time throws downfield and let’s not forget that Mariota ran an unconventional offense and Oregon and so far he looks like a star in the making. If he can continue to develop at Oklahoma State and show he can play more under center and get used to playing in a pro style offense, Rudolph has a shot at being an early draft pick come 2018.
Now let me just wrap this discussion up by stating that I am not guaranteeing any of these QBs being top picks, but considering the way NFL teams are drafting QBs and grooming them for the future, it should be expected to see some of these guys drafted earlier than expected. Anything can happen in the NFL Draft and last year is a prime example due to the fact that two QBs were drafted in the top 15 who were not even considered first round picks 12 months ago. Don’t be shocked to see the same thing happen in 2018.