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2018 NFL Draft: Josh Rosen’s draft stock swaying

By George Stockburger

PASADENA, CA - NOVEMBER 24: Josh Rosen
PASADENA, CA - NOVEMBER 24: Josh Rosen /
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Will recent comments and injuries hurt Josh Rosen in the 2018 NFL Draft?

Known as one of the more outspoken collegiate quarterbacks in recent memory Josh Rosen is also one of the better prospects in the 2018 NFL Draft. While he carries the physical and football skill sets to be a number one overall pick teams could be wary of using a high pick on the UCLA star.

Prior to the Bruins playing Kansas State in the Cactus Bowl the team announced Rosen would not start at quarterback, likely ending his collegiate career. Officially diagnosed with a concussion Rosen evades the “bowl dodger” title bestowed on Christian McCaffrey and other stars in recent years.

Rosen has publically supported the idea of players skipping bowl games to prevent career-threatening injuries in a game typically viewed as an exhibition matchup. With millions of dollars on the line, one can understand why a player could sit out of a non-New Year’s Six bowl game.

The junior’s comments highlighting players who sit out of bowl games were taken with mixed reviews. Some saw them as well thought out and intellegent, but others saw them in a completely opposite light.

Now with a concussion holding out Rosen and the expectation that there will be no new game tape of him coming out of UCLA teams are on the clock to determine their take on his personality and love for the game.
Now with a concussion holding out Rosen and the expectation that there will be no new game tape of him coming out of UCLA teams are on the clock to determine their take on his personality and love for the game. /

Through 11 games this year Rosen threw 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for the Bruins to place himself in the conversation for the number one overall pick, officially held by the Cleveland Browns. Some reports suggest Rosen would stay in college to avoid being drafted by Cleveland, who also hold the Houston Texan’s high first-round pick following the trade to acquire Deshaun Watson last year.

While never directly mentioning the winless Browns, Rosen has publically said he’d rather fall in the draft to go to the right team instead of going high in the draft to the wrong team.

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The expectation is that Rosen would prefer to play in New York as Eli Manning’s heir. The 2-13 Giants host the Redskins Sunday morning and project to have a top-three draft pick. Considering Manning’s regression this year, the fact he turns 37 in January, and a new head coach coming in it’s likely the Giants will draft a quarterback in the first round.

Combining Rosen’s questionable personality and the New York market (on and off the field) could be futile in the eyes of some, but the Giants organization will be the final judge of that, assuming Cleveland passes on him.

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Luckily for the Giants, the last handful of quarterbacks the Browns have willingly passed on have seen early success in their NFL careers. Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, Dak Prescott, and Deshaun Watson were all passed on by Cleveland in the last two years.

Cleveland is expected to draft a quarterback with DeShone Kizer’s limited success as a rookie and the play of Cody Kessler not all that impressive. The Browns and new general manager John Dorsey will have a lot of quarterbacks to pick from that could potentially include USC’s Sam Darnold, Wyoming’s Josh Allen, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, and Rosen, among others.

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