Tar Heels QB Mitch Trubisky draws crowd at UNC pro workouts

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Mitch Trubisky tried to ignore the cameras following his every move during North Carolina's pro day, down to the guy holding a pole to extend a microphone over his head as he simply stood around talking with his receivers on a sideline.

It's just another facet to Trubisky's "interesting journey" -- a rapid rise from quarterback yet to make a college start to a player being projected as a possible top-10 draft pick in the span of just eight months.

"I feel like I've been really prepared, and I'm just going to continue to show coaches and teams who I am and what I can bring to the table, what I can bring to a new organization," Trubisky said after Tuesday's workout.

"I'm very happy with how the process has gone so far. I'm confident in myself and I'm just going to keep it rolling and I just can't wait to play some more football."

Trubisky, a native of Mentor, Ohio, drew a larger-than-usual crowd to UNC's pro workouts. Tar Heels spokesman Kevin Best said the pro day attracted 75 NFL officials representing all 32 teams.

Trubisky said he has meetings scheduled with several teams including the Cleveland Browns -- his home-state team with the No. 1 overall pick -- the San Francisco 49ers (picking at No. 2), the New York Jets (No. 6), the Kansas City Chiefs and the Arizona Cardinals.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound junior threw with a group that included receiver Ryan Switzer, tailbacks Elijah Hood and T.J. Loganand tight end Jack Tabb. All the while, ESPN had live coverage, while NFL Films and ESPN The Magazine had video crews following Trubisky around even as he went to grab a cup of water before making his first throw.

"No one puts more pressure on myself than me," Trubisky said. "So you can have as many cameras out here as you want. I'm still going to be the hardest on me than anyone else who's out here. I try to put that aside and just try to come out here and have fun with the boys. ... If you try to be something that's not yourself, it's not going to work out for you."

In his only season as the Tar Heels' starter, Trubisky set program records with 3,748 yards passing and 30 touchdowns, as well as for completions (304), attempts (447) and total offense (4,056).

He also ranked in the top 10 nationally by completing 68 percent of his passes after two seasons seeing spot duty.

"Everybody knows he can throw the football," UNC coach Larry Fedora said. "You can turn on the tape and see he throws it, and throws it great. It's all the intangibles. If I'm one of these teams that's interested in Mitch, I'm going to dinner with him, you know. I'm not just spending a 15-minute interview with him at the combine.

"I'm going to say, if he's going to be the face of my organization, I'm going to invest millions of dollars in him, I'm going to get to know him. And I'm going to know him well. And that's what he does best."

Trubisky also got a chuckle at the chatter that followed his announcement at the NFL Combine that he'd prefer to be called by his full name of "Mitchell" going forward.

"Someone asked what my mom preferred and that was the answer," Trubisky said with a laugh. "Mitch, Mitchell, you guys are welcome to use either one. ... I was trying to do my mom a favor, and it actually made her happy."