North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky intends to apply for early eligibility to enter the 2017 NFL Draft on the heels of a junior season in which he rose from relative anonymity to one of the top quarterback prospects in the college game.
He announced his decision via Twitter on Monday.
Trubisky (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) wasn't even a full-time starter for UNC until this season, but he led the Tar Heels to an 8-5 record and a bid to the Sun Bowl against Stanford. The junior completed 304 of 446 passes for 3,748 yards, 30 touchdowns and only six interceptions. However, his season-ending 25-23 Sun Bowl loss wasn't a strong finish from a scouting standpoint. NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah sees Trubisky's lack of experience as a concern when it comes to his scouting evaluation.
An NFC personnel executive believes Trubisky has the talent to be a top-10 draft choice.
College underclassmen face a Jan. 16 deadline to apply for early draft eligibility.
Trubisky's standing among other draftable quarterbacks figures to benefit from what is considered a weak draft pool at the position. NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks and Jeremiah have compared Trubisky to a pair of Kansas City Chiefs: Brooks sees similarities to Alex Smith, while Jeremiah compared him to ex-Chiefs QB Trent Green.
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