NFL Draft: Browns take Myles Garrett No. 1, Bears take Mitchell Trubisky at No. 2

Browns take Myles Garrett at No. 1, but it was the Bears’ controversial selection at No. 2 that shocked everyone.

Mitchell Trubisky of North Carolina poses with Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell after being picked #2 overall by the Chicago Bears. Picture: AP

The 2017 NFL Draft began like most experts predicted: the Cleveland Browns selected Texas A&M defensive lineman Myles Garrett with the No. 1 pick. Then it completely defied expectations with a set of decisions that could change the landscape of the league for the foreseeable future.

The Chicago Bears traded up for the No. 2 overall pick, giving the San Francisco 49ers the No. 3 pick and a bevy of draft choices, to select North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

Even at a time when the quarterback position has never been more important in the NFL, there was no certainty a signal caller would go off the board this early.

Evaluators had raised questions about this year’s crop, and the quarterback-needy Browns passed on Trubisky at No. 1.

US sports analyst Skip Bayless echoed the thoughts of many when he said he failed to see what Chicago saw in Trubisky.

I just don't see what the Bears saw in Mitchell Trubisky, and they just traded up and bet their next five years on him. Unreal.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 28, 2017

I said today on Undisputed: You could watch Jay Cutler for one game at Vandy and you said, "Wow." You watched Trubisky and didn't notice him

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 28, 2017

That Trubisky would be the first quarterback taken was no sure thing. Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, the college star who won the title game against Alabama, was also a possibility. So was Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes.

But Chicago decided to put the future of their franchise in the hands of Trubisky, even after signing quarterback Mike Glennon to a pricey deal in free agency. Trubisky impressed with the Tar Heels last season, throwing 30 touchdowns and only six interceptions, but only started one year in college.

There is no way Mitch Trubisky is almost a full round better than Deshaun Watson. Not a chance. #NFLDraft

— Mike Gillespie (@MikeABCColumbia) April 28, 2017

At No. 3, the 49ers got who they likely wanted anyway: Stanford defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. Except the Bears didn’t necessarily trade up for the purpose of getting ahead of San Francisco. They did it to get their choice of quarterback in a league filled with quarterback-starved teams. The Kansas City Chiefs also traded up to get a quarterback, moving up to No. 10 to take Mahomes, while the Texans took Watson at No. 12.

Not every team was quarterback focused, though. LSU running back Leonard Fournette, an old-school rusher with a tantalising combination of power and agility, went fourth to the Jacksonville Jaguars, despite questions about how players of his mould fit into the passing-dominated NFL. And the New York Jets, with a gaping hole at quarterback, bypassed Mahomes and Watson to select LSU safety Jamal Adams sixth. At No. 5, the Tennessee Titans didn’t need a quarterback — they already have Marcus Mariota. So they gave him a new potential weapon in wide receiver Corey Davis, from Western Michigan. The Carolina Panthers, looking to give quarterback Cam Newton another offensive weapon, took Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey at No. 8.

Wall Street Journal