Chicago Bears: Mitchell Trubisky will go down as all-time NFL Draft bust

The Chicago Bears taking Mitchell Trubisky with the second overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft could go down as the worst pick in NFL Draft history.

The Chicago Bears are not picking up the fifth-year option on the contract of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. This means that 2020 will likely be his last season in Chicago. Trubisky could always have a breakout season, forcing the Bears to give him a long-term extension, but chances are that they will move forward without Trubisky after the upcoming season.

The Chicago Bears taking Trubisky with the second overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft will almost undoubtedly go down as one of the worst picks in franchise history. But let’s not limit it to that. Trubisky may be the biggest bust in NFL Draft history.

General manager Ryan Pace and Bears panicked in the 2017 NFL Draft, trading up from No. 3 to No. 2 in order to select Trubisky. The San Francisco 49ers were never going to take a quarterback, but the Bears still decided to give up extra draft capital to move up one spot to take Trubisky. While the trade-up was baffling, that is not why this was such a massive mistake. More than anything, this comes down to who was available for the Chicago Bears.

The Bears were the only team at the top of the 2017 NFL Draft in the quarterback market. Myles Garrett was always going to be the choice for the Cleveland Browns and that picked has turned out fairly well. However, not as well as the Kansas City Chiefs taking Patrick Mahomes at No. 10.

Mahomes is the best player in the NFL and appears to be on track for a legendary career. Mahomes landed in an absolutely perfect situation in Kansas City so it’s fair to wonder if he would be this dominant anywhere else. That being said, he is obviously an incredibly talented player who would have had success anywhere.

On top of that, Deshaun Watson was in this draft, going No. 12 overall to the Houston Texans. Watson has not been as great as Mahomes, but he is clearly still one of the best young quarterbacks in the entire NFL.

As young and talented stars at the quarterback position, Mahomes and Watson may legitimately be the two most valuable players in the entire NFL. Instead of having one of them lead their franchise, the Chicago Bears have Trubisky, who will probably be backing up Nick Foles in 2020.

While the story is not finished, this selection of Trubisky is one its way to being one of the all-time worst NFL Draft picks. In five years, we could be putting Trubisky right up there with guys like Ryan Leaf and JaMarcus Russell.