Overview
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 218 pounds
School: UCLA Bruins
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.92 seconds
Vertical jump: 31 inches
Broad jump: 9.25 feet
Three-cone drill: 7.09 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.28 seconds
Josh Rosen 2018 NFL Draft Profile
Coming into college, Josh Rosen was your typical highly recruited high school star. As a senior, he led his team to a California state championship and was a first-team USA Today All-American. He decided to keep his talent in-state and went to play for UCLA. It didn’t take long for Rosen to validate his hype, completing 60 percent of his passes for 3,670 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as a freshman in UCLA’s pro-style offense.
The next season, Rosen was limited to just six games when a shoulder injury cut his sophomore season short. He had completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,915 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions that season before he went down.
Fortunately, Rosen came back in a big way as a junior. In week one, he led perhaps one of the greatest comebacks in college football history. Against the Texas A&M Aggies, his team was down 44-10 in the third quarter. Most teams would have given up at this point, but Rosen responded by stepping up and going off. He ended that game going 35 of 58 passing for a monstrous 491 yards and four touchdowns. On the whole year, he completed 62.6 percent of his passes for 3,756 yards, 26 touchdowns, and just 10 interceptions. Rosen’s numbers throughout his career have been very solid for operating consistently out of a pro-style offense.
Strengths
- Beautiful mechanics
- Clean footwork
- Superb deep ball
- Great accuracy
- Good arm strength
- Experience under center
- Incredibly smart
Weaknesses
- Limited rushing abilities
- Character questions
- Good offensive line may be critical to his NFL success
- Poor decision-making at times
- Possible injury concern
NFL Comparison: Matt Ryan
Teams With Need at Position: Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings
Projection: Top five selection
Bottom Line
Josh Rosen is the most polished, NFL-ready passer in this class. He possesses nearly flawless mechanics, which is incredibly rare for a college prospect, and the way he effortlessly operates from the pocket is nothing short of impressive. He has experience working under center in a pro-style offense and will be much less of a project for NFL teams than most college passers. His polished play, high football I.Q., and undeniable talent make him a candidate to successfully start day one as a rookie.
Rosen does not come without question marks, however. Past injuries are an issue, but more than that character concerns and bad intangibles stand out. It has been said that Rosen can be difficult to coach, and his big personality may make him tough to get along with. Teams will have to thoroughly do their homework and make sure this opinionated, outspoken man can mesh with their locker room chemistry. The California raised passer has had trouble being looked at as a leader throughout his career, and now it’s time for him to convince grown men to follow him.
When it comes down to it, Rosen brings a lot to the table as a polished and highly skilled pocket passer and can find a lot of success in the NFL. Teams just need to be sure to do their homework on him and find the truth behind the concerns raised about his intangibles. Rosen will find someone to take a chance on him early, and if the team is a good fit the polarizing quarterback has enough talent to become a perennial Pro Bowl player.
