2017 NFL Draft Player Profiles: Mitch Trubisky & Ryan Switzer

North Carolina Offense

Scheme: Shotgun-Based Spread

Offensive (Team & Individual) Ranks:

• 45th in Total Offense (439 Yards Per Game)
• 52nd in Points Per Game (29.4 Points Per Game)
• Trubisky: 10th in Passing Yards
• Switzer: 29th in Receiving Yards

Tapes Watched — UNC vs:

• Florida State 2016
• Pittsburgh 2016
• Stanford 2016
• Miami (Fla.) 2016
• Georgia Tech 2016
• Duke 2016
• NC State 2016

Mitch Trubisky

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 222 lbs.

40 Time: 4.67 seconds

Hand Size: 9 ¹⁄₂ inches

2016 Stats: 304/446 (68.2%), 3748 Yards, 30 Touchdowns, 6 Interceptions

Strengths

• He has a thick, compact frame that can withstand a lot of hits outside the pocket.
• He is a very good athlete who can buy time with his feet and usually keeps his eyes downfield when on the move.
• Good, strong base with good knee bend and his shoulder lined up properly. Ball position is around his breast, which is the right place to keep it.

• He shows relatively good pocket awareness and is able to shuffle well in the pocket.
• He possesses a strong arm that can make all the throws (sidelines, deep, etc)
• He can make good throws under pressure and can take a hit in the pocket.
• He throws relatively well when rolling out and on the move. He opens up his hips and properly lines up his shoulder on those throws.

Weaknesses

• He operated a shotgun-based spread style offense with a lot of pre-determined quarterback reads (i.e. quick bubble passes or quick out passes) and never took a snap under center. This will not prepare him well for an NFL pro-style offense and will need to adjust.
• His footwork needs to improve as he has wasted steps in his drops and he’ll get “happy feet” and hop around when in the pocket.
• He must always step into his throws as there are many instances where his passes lose velocity as they travel downfield, which leads to accuracy issues. He has a lot of “all arm” throws.
• His decision making isn’t good, as he’ll often force balls into coverage when under pressure.
• He needs to do a better job of leading his receivers on his passes, as oftentimes, his receivers must adjust to under-thrown passes.
• He doesn’t (consistently) fit passes into tight windows.

Other Notes

• Only one year as a starter; lost starting quarterback battle to Marquise Williams in 2015.

Summary

Trubisky has a lot of natural arm talent and is an athletic, well built player, which makes him an intriguing draft prospect. However, he lacks experience as he spent only one season as a starter in a quarterback-friendly spread system.

As a passer, Trubisky has the arm strength to make all the throws and possesses the ability to put a lot of zip on his passes (more on this later). He can play well in a muddy pocket and can make good throws while under pressure. He throws well on the run and can buy time outside the pocket with his feet. He has good pocket awareness and he shows some good qualities when in the pocket (such as shuffling, keeping his eyes downfield on the move, etc).

Trubisky looks the part with his thick compact frame and has very good speed and athleticism. As a quarterback, he shows relatively good mechanics. He is very mechanically sound in terms of his base/stance and his upper body mechanics (shoulder aimed properly, hips square during delivery, throwing motion is quick and compact). However, he must work a bit on his footwork as he sometimes has “happy feet” in the pocket and has a tendency of not stepping into his throws, which hurts the velocity of his passes.

His decision-making must improve and playing in a one read and throw type of system will not help his transition into the NFL. He can’t force passes down the field when under pressure and must learn how to be safer with the football. He also needs to do a better job of leading his receivers, especially on passes down the field (beyond 15 yards). Oftentimes, his receivers must adjust to under-thrown passes. He also needs to learn how to consistently fit balls into tight windows and when he learns to always step into his throws, he’ll be able to fit any ball into any window.

Overall, Trubisky looks to be a very good developmental quarterback. The mental part of his game needs at least 1 to 2 years of development and he must learn to play in an NFL offense that typically utilizes under-center snaps and play action rollouts. This transition will take a couple of years; he’s not ready to see an NFL field in his rookie season. His arm talent and his athleticism will most likely force him into the first round, but right now, he is a solid day 2 selection with a very good ceiling.

Round Projection: 2nd-3rd Round

Ryan Switzer

Height: 5’8”

Weight: 181 lbs.

40 Time: 4.51 seconds

Hand Size: 9 ¹⁄₄ inches

2016 Stats: 96 Catches, 1112 Yards, 6 Touchdowns

Strengths

• He gets off the line quickly and can perform well versus press or off-ball coverage in the slot.
• He possesses very good quickness and can make defenders miss in a phone booth.

• He can run a variety of routes and is especially good at running short to intermediate routes.
• He is a dangerous player with the ball in his hands; he’ll rack up a lot of yards after the catch.
• He shows very good body control on sideline catches and can make tough catches along the sideline.
• Provides value as a punt returner as he has 7 career returns for touchdowns.

Weaknesses

• Size is a major concern as he would be one of the smallest receivers in the NFL.
• Short arms (28 inches) —-> small catch radius.
• He often catches with his body and doesn’t usually use his hands. He must learn to be a better hands catcher.
• He is not a good blocker as he doesn’t engage with his opponent and he doesn’t finish his blocks.
• He is not a breakaway threat as he does not possess great top-end speed.

Other Notes

• He spent three years as a starter for North Carolina.

Summary

Switzer may be undersized, but he has a lot of NFL traits and looks to be a good late day 2 pick.

Switzer is a very quick, agile player who can make any defender miss in the open field. His ability to make quick, explosive cuts and find the open field even in tight quarters makes him a very dangerous player with the ball in his hands. He is a very good route runner and is very effective on short to intermediate routes, which is where he made his living with the Tar Heels. He shows very good body control on sideline catches, a trait he’ll need to have with the Patriots in the NFL.

We know Switzer is a small player with short arms, but that’s not his only weakness. Switzer must learn to become a natural hands catches and not rely so much on his body, as he’ll be susceptible to a lot of drops in the NFL, where the ball speeds/velocity are a lot higher. He must also learn to become an effective blocker as he doesn’t engage his opponents properly and often relies on body checking, which is not effective in the NFL, especially at his size. He is also not a breakaway threat with his speed.

If you’re a team in need of a dynamic slot receiver with 80+ catch potential, then you’d be wise to select Ryan Switzer in the 3rd round. His physical and team fit limitations could force him into a day 3 pick.

Round Projection: 3rd-4th Round