Wednesday was apparently universal “let’s declare for the draft day.”
Both Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen declared for the NFL Draft on Wednesday, about a half hour apart. Rosen made his announcement on Twitter and Instagram, posting this note:
Thankful to be a Bruin pic.twitter.com/iph754UL2b
— Josh Rosen (@josh3rosen) January 3, 2018
The former UCLA QB said in his note that he would return to finish his degree. His previous coach Jim Mora said Rosen was on schedule to graduate in the spring, so preparing for the NFL Draft will delay those plans.
Darnold made his announcement in a video post he shared on Instagram:
Darnold’s announcement is slightly more surprising than Rosen’s. Darnold was a redshirt sophomore and had two more years of eligibility. His stats decreased from his redshirt freshman season, and he had a poor showing in the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State. Plus a report on Tuesday even said he was likely to return to school.
Darnold has expressed some willingness to go wherever he’s taken, while Rosen reportedly does not want to go to Cleveland. The Browns have the Nos. 1 and 4 picks. A scenario in which Darnold goes to Cleveland and Rosen goes to the New York Giants at No. 2 overall seems very plausible.
