Now entering their third year, the Chicago Bears’ 2017 draft class is starting to become more defined. And while immediate draft grades are a popular endeavor as soon as a particular draft comes to a close, it’s better to wait until Year 3 to assess how valuable a draft pick has been.

Ali Bhanpuri of NFL.com ranked and evaluated all 32 selections from the first round fo the 2017 NFL draft, the year QB Mitch Trubisky was selected by GM Ryan Pace with the second overall pick. Now entering his second full season as a starter, Trubisky was issued a B- for his play so far.

Focusing solely on Trubisky’s on-field performance, and not the Bears’ peculiar decision to give up three mid-round picks (including the one New Orleans eventually used to select Alvin Kamara) to move up one spot in the draft, the UNC quarterback has been as consistent as Chicago weather in his short pro career. His highs (see: six TD passes against the Bucs) are like that 65-degree Sunday in early March when Chicagoans lose their minds and slip on shorts and tanks while lounging on an outdoor patio with a Daisy Cutter in hand. The lows (a 110-yard, 1 TD/3 INT-performance against the Rams comes to mind), well, they’re like the next morning, when the temp tumbles back into the 40s and folks are navigating through a sheet of sleet on their way to work. While it’s easy to pummel the third-year passer for his head-scratching errant throws, he is coming off a Pro Bowl season and another summer working with Matt Nagy. And, let’s not forget that he did drive the Bears down the field and into position to kick a game-winning field goal against the Eagles in the 2018 Wild Card Round. If only 43-yard boots were in his repertoire, there’d be an “A” up there.

Bhanpuri is correct about Trubisky’s inconsistencies, as he tends to throw an incredible pass on one play, but then follow it up with an egregious pass that was — or should have been — intercepted on the next.

Still, a B- grade seems a bit low for a Pro Bowl quarterback who grew leaps and bounds from his 2017 season in nearly every category. After throwing seven touchdowns and seven interceptions in 12 games during his rookie season with a limited supporting cast, Trubisky improved to 24 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions in 14 games under coach Matt Nagy.

He also added three rushing scores, showing his athleticism outside of the pocket.

While he hasn’t earned an ‘A’ yet, an argument could be made that he’s poised to enter that category of top picks from the 2017 class. If he wins a playoff game (or more) in 2019, the suggestion that he’s the worst of the first-round quarterbacks from his draft year will quickly come to an end.

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