ABOUT MITCH TRUBISKY

I was talking to an NFL executive, and he mentioned in passing how Mitch Trubisky "is rated the top quarterback in this draft."

"He is?" I said.

"From what I hear, most teams have him rated that way," he said. I checked around, and that seems to be the case for the Mentor native.

Some executives are like Mike Mayock (NFL Network), who said he'd be "scared to death" to take any quarterback this year in the top 10. But it seems Trubisky has the edge. The biggest objection is only 13 college starts at North Carolina.

As Mayock asked, "Why couldn't he beat out Marquise Williams at North Carolina? What is the answer to that?"

Williams started for three years for North Carolina. Twice, he was second-team all-ACC. Trubisky was behind him all three seasons, the first being a redshirt year.

Williams was not picked in the 2016 NFL draft. He was signed by Green Bay, then cut.

The discussion I had with some NFL executives was Trubisky vs. Carson Wentz. It was inspired by an email from Jerry Sulecki. He looked at the college stats of Wentz and Trubisky, and discovered they are about the same.

1. Wentz started 23 games at North Dakota State, Trubisky started 13 for the Tar Heels.

2. For their college careers, Wentz was 392-of-612 passing. Trubisky was 386-of-572.

3. Wentz was in a pro-style offense for the Bisons, and they ran the ball more than North Carolina. That's why the passing stats are about the same.

4. Wentz threw 45 TD passes (14 interceptions), Trubisky threw 41 TD passes (10 interceptions). Even their yards per attempt are the same -- 8.4.

THE WENTZ IMPACT

A lot of NFL people were leery of Wentz. Part of it was his playing at a lower division of college football rather than a top-rated school. Part of it was the lack of college starts.

1. Wentz was behind a quarterback named Brock Jensen for three years. First, Wentz was a redshirt. Then he was a backup to Jensen.

2. North Dakota State won three national titles with Jensen, but he wasn't drafted. He was signed and cut by the Miami Dolphins. He played four games in Canada in 2016.

3. Wentz started all 16 games as a junior. But he made only seven starts as a senior, missing the rest because of a broken wrist.

4. It's fair to ask, "Why didn't Trubisky beat out Marquise Williams?" But it's fair to ask, "Why didn't Wentz beat out Brock Jensen?" The coaches were sticking with known commodities.

5. In 2015, Williams led North Carolina to an 11-3 record and was 8-0 in the ACC. In 2016, North Carolina was 8-5 with Trubisky, 5-3 in the ACC.

6. North Dakota State won five consecutive FCS national titles, three with Jensen and two with Wentz. So it was hard to know if the success had to do with Wentz being in a powerhouse system, or was it more?

7. This is not to turn Wentz into a star. In his first four starts for Philadelphia, he threw five TD passes without an interception. In the next 12 games, it was 11 TD passes compared to 14 interceptions. He fumbled nine times.

8. Overall, Wentz was the 25th-ranked QB in the league. So questions remain about how he will perform long-term, but certainly he showed potential while starting all 16 games as a rookie.

9. Wentz is part of the reason why Trubisky will probably be picked in the top three. The Browns/49ers/Bears all need a quarterback. A lot of NFL people wonder if Deshaun Watson can adapt to the pro game, despite all his success at Clemson. Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer has a lot of raw talent, but seems very inconsistent.

10. If Trubisky is the top quarterback picked, he can thank Wentz, who is causing several teams to reconsider how they view quarterbacks in the draft.

ABOUT DAVID LEE

The Browns hired David Lee as quarterback coach, a job he had for nine years with four NFL teams. He was a long-time QB coach and offensive coordinator for several major college programs.

He has a lot of experience, and Hue Jackson needs that. While Jackson will call the plays again, Lee can run meetings for the offense and help Jackson with the quarterbacks. He takes over for Pep Hamilton, who left the Browns for a similar job with the University of Michigan.

Lee spent the last two years with Buffalo, and was let go when head coach Rex Ryan was fired. Which brings us to Tyrod Taylor, the Bills quarterback who probably will become a free agent. Taylor is due $30 million on his contract, and it's doubtful the Bills will pick up that option. He will then become a free agent.

I'm told Taylor is interested in going somewhere he can start. The Browns have to look at him closely. Lee brings an intimate coaching knowledge of Taylor, who was 12-12 as a starter for Buffalo.

I hear Lee likes Taylor. But don't automatically assume hiring Lee means Taylor is coming to Cleveland. Lee is considered an experienced QB coach who works on mechanics.

ABOUT THE BROWNS

1. David Lee is 63 years old. New offensive line coach Bob Wylie will be 66 on Feb. 16. New defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is 58.

2. What's the point of listing ages? It indicates Jackson is surrounding himself with very experienced coaches. He knows the team will be very young -- again. Last season, the Browns had more rookies taking snaps than any NFL team since 2012. He wants veterans to help him coach the kids.

3. Wylie was with Jackson in Oakland. He did not work with Lee or Williams. Jackson hired them as "best available." It was not the buddy system.

4. Remember, it's not easy to convince assistants to come to Cleveland -- or Buffalo -- or anywhere else that loses often and continually fires coaches. The reason Williams came is some teams didn't want to touch him because of the "Bounty-gate" scandal. That was a break for the Browns because he is an impact defensive coach.

5. Lee interviewed with Jackson at the Senior Bowl. Greg Seamon was the interim quarterbacks coach, but I never thought Seamon would keep the job. He's a good tight ends coach with a strong background in scouting. He was a Bengals scout from 2003-15. Before that, he had been an offensive coordinator at four other schools, including Akron (1991-94).

6. Jackson knows whatever the Browns do about a quarterback, coaching will be critical, whether it's Jimmy Garoppolo (two pro starts) or Taylor (24) or a rookie. There's still Cody Kessler (eight).

7. They still have Robert Griffin III on the roster, but I doubt he'll be the starter. Maybe I'm projecting my opinion onto the Browns, but I know the team was very concerned about Griffin's injury issues last season. I doubt that has changed.