In this edition of “Making the Case” I ignore all the naysayers and those burned out by the 2017 NFL Draft by telling you why UCLA Football QB Josh Rosen should be the number one pick next year.
The UCLA Football team hasn’t had a quarterback taken first overall since former Bruin great Troy Aikman in 1989. Sure UCLA has produced some very talented NFL players who have gone on to have long NFL careers but not many of them have had the physical tools and the highlight reel that Rosen has.
That’s why I have Rosen locked in as my #1 player in the 2018 NFL Draft.
We might as well get it out of the way. Rosen didn’t have a good 2016 season. In addition to having to learn a new offense in his second year, the offensive line kept him running for his life. He was knocked around and eventually knocked out for the season with a nerve issue in his throwing shoulder.
Offseason surgery and an offensive line coaching change will help to sure up Rosen’s arm and his protection respectively.
Now he just has to prove he’s rebounded from his injury (which he did this spring) and demonstrate his grasp of the playbook (a work in progress).
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I believe not only will he easily prove the doubters wrong, but will make believers of both the media and the NFL.
Let’s look at his physical tools first.
Rosen stands at 6-foot-4 and has added weight to reach around 220 pounds. He clearly passes the eye test. He also has the arm strength, throwing motion, touch and accuracy that makes scouts drool.
He can make any throw you ask him to make and can certainly make any throw he would be asked to make in an NFL playbook. He proved it as a freshman and again as a sophomore when he was throwing to a new wide receiver group.
Being a standout high school tennis player helped shape Rosen’s quick feet that allow him to slide in the pocket and that footwork gives him the base to step into his throws.
While he holds onto the ball too long sometimes, which leads to sacks but often he doesn’t receive enough time behind this current UCLA offensive line. However when given time, any semblance of time, he’s an absolute surgeon.
Making a Case for Josh Rosen (cont.)
Rosen has been sacked a total of 28 times and last year only made it through six games before succumbing to injury. However, Rosen has battled through dings before and displayed his toughness on multiple occasions.q
A prime example of this would be his late game score against the Stanford Cardinal in 2015. Facing a 3rd and 16 in the fourth quarter down by 36 points, Rosen continued to battle and found his TE Thomas Duarte for 38 yard score on an absolute dime between multiple defenders.
The willingness to fight and never give in occasionally comes back to bite Rosen especially on late throws or throws under heavy pressure but his “never say die” attitude is the mark of a true competitor.
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Maturity might be the only place where Rosen could be dinged and in 2015 and 2016 I would have agreed with that sentiment. It does seem to me though that a quiet 2017 to this point demonstrates the measure by which he has grown.
While the media and fans came to expect and enjoy some brash behavior from their young QB, he has been very quiet and supportive of his teammates and coaches.
When you have a guy that may or may not have maturity issues, then is put through trials on the field like Rosen has faced and for him to come out and appear to be better for it, you have to believe you have a special kind of player on your hands.
The above highlight, although not of Rosen, demonstrate what he is capable of when he can be properly protected. If we put all of the elite physical talent, the drive to win, and the emerging maturity, I just don’t see how anyone could argue against him as the top pick next year. Of course there is plenty of time between now and the draft and there are plenty of other QBs at the top. Draft experts will change their minds and prospects will rise and fall.
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One thing remains a certainty for me. Rosen will make anyone who passes on him in the NFL Draft pay and make them pay for years to come.