Josh Rosen is expected to be one of the first players taken in the 2018 NFL Draft later this month, and the former UCLA star thinks any team that passes over him will be making a big mistake.
Yes, even the Cleveland Browns.
In a candid interview with Sam Alipour of ESPN the Magazine, Rosen confidently labeled himself the best quarterback in what is considered a very deep class.
“I’m the best QB in the draft. A lot of guys are flashier, but I think I’m the most efficient, monotonously consistent QB in this draft,” he said. “(Aaron) Rodgers has some flair, but if you watch Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, there’s nothing that’s explosive or Johnny Manziel-like. It’s just quarterbacking.”
Rosen has faced more than a few questions about his character and motivation. He comes from a wealthy family and would be perfectly fine financially without football, so he has had to convince teams that he cares just as much as anyone else. The comments his former coach has made about his level of focus haven’t helped, but Rosen feels some teams and analysts are just looking for things to knock him with. He touched on that when asked about Rodgers falling to No. 24 in the 2005 draft.
“I think if teams went back to that draft, they’d rethink some of their critiques of Rodgers,” Rosen said. “If he’s the best pure passer in the draft, the best QB, with no legitimate off-field issues, that should be your answer — that’s your QB. I think a lot of people try to add fluff on the edge to, I don’t know, justify their jobs? I can’t say that, but people make it more complicated than it needs to be.”
The entire interview, which includes commentary on topics from Mora’s remarks to global warming, is worth reading. There have been times when Rosen hasn’t been able to bite his tongue over the past few months, but ultimately he sounds willing to let his play at the next level do the talking.
