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JOSH ROSEN Junior | 6-foot-4, 218 pounds | 30 career starts 2017 stats: 283 of 452 passing (62.6 percent) for 3,756 yards, with 26 touchdowns, 10 interceptions; two rushing touchdowns, three lost fumbles; 67.1 Total QBR (No. 42 in FBS) Who is this guy, and why should we care? Rosen caught everyone's attention with a 3,670-yard freshman season in 2015. NFL scouts love the way he looks in the pocket -- his footwork, throwing motion, anticipation and accuracy. After an injury-plagued 2016 season, he rebounded in 2017 with numbers nearly identical to those he put up as a freshman. Injuries set in again, though, and with Chip Kelly and a new coaching staff on the way in, Rosen will enter the draft. He's enough of a prospect to merit consideration at No. 1 overall. Kiper's draft ranking: No. 2 QB and No. 5 overall prospect. From Kiper's Mock Draft 1.0: "Rosen is the top pure passer in this class. He looked better than Darnold when UCLA and USC played late in the season." McShay's draft ranking: No. 1 QB and No. 1 overall prospect. From McShay's Top 32: "Rosen is far superior [than Darnold] going through his progressions and has a pretty deep ball. He's a better QB right now, but that doesn't mean he will be down the line." Josh Rosen will have one final shot to impress NFL scouts in the Cactus Bowl on Dec. 26. Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire What does the NFL think of Rosen? "Just so natural in everything he does on the field. You watch him in the pocket and it's like he was born to do it. The way he sees the field, the way he operates the offense, just total command. If I had his kind of natural ability, I think I'd be that way too." -- NFC offensive coach. So, now what? Still recovering from a concussion suffered in the Bruins' final regular-season game, Rosen was held out of UCLA's bowl game. He will be subjected to a pre-draft process focused mainly on his injury history and some personality questions that have surfaced in media reports. It's almost certain that he will be picked at or near the top of the draft, but if it's a question between him and another highly rated guy, teams will want to check out anything negative that has come up. SAM DARNOLD Third-year sophomore | 6-4, 225 pounds | 23 career starts 2017 stats: 303 of 480 passing (63.1 percent) for 4,143 yards, with 26 touchdowns, 13 interceptions; five rushing touchdowns, seven lost fumbles; 74.6 Total QBR (No. 22 in FBS) Who is this guy, and why should we care? Darnold couldn't beat out Max Browne as a redshirt freshman in 2016, but when Browne was benched after three games, people in the NFL took notice. There was at least some can-he-do-it-again sense about Darnold early this season, after a dazzling 31-touchdown, nine-interception 2016 season and a fantastic Rose Bowl performance against Penn State. Some early-season struggles in 2017 pointed to the concerns NFL evaluators had (and still have) about his footwork and some of his decision-making. But those same evaluators recognize that USC was affected negatively by graduation and injury issues this season, and the way Darnold played over the final few months affirmed what scouts love about his abilities and makeup. The overall package of potential and college performance makes Darnold a candidate for the No. 1 overall pick. He went first in McShay's debut mock draft. Kiper's draft ranking: No. 3 QB and No. 6 overall prospect. From Kiper's Mock Draft 1.0: "Can he figure out the ball security? If he can get rid of the bad habits, he could be a special player. Darnold is an accurate, natural passer with high upside who still needs to tweak his mechanics." McShay's draft ranking: No. 2 QB and No. 3 overall prospect. From McShay's Top 32: "His accuracy is terrific and he has special intangibles, but there is definitely a question now as to if he'll declare for the draft." Sam Darnold took 21 sacks this season, after he was sacked only six times in 2016. Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire What does the NFL think of Darnold? "He's got everything you look for -- size, arm strength, accuracy. Could stand to clean up some mechanical stuff, but that's going to come with time. He looks the part, and that matters when you're trying to sell your fan base on a young guy with growing pains. He'll show enough to get people excited." -- NFC front-office official. So, now what? Darnold has declared for the draft -- there was some question whether he would stay at USC for at least another year -- and now teams will get to interview him and watch him work out at the combine in March. It's expected to be Darnold and Rosen at the top of the draft, but this next signal-caller could leap both of them. |
Sam Darnold- makes all the throws, makes poor decisions and Eli-like mistakes- interceptions, fumbles
Baker Mayfield- too short, good mobility, most accurate in class, great leader, overexuberant
Josh Allen- big, mobile, great arm, considerable accuracy issues
Sam Darnold- makes all the throws, makes poor decisions and Eli-like mistakes- interceptions, fumbles
Baker Mayfield- too short, good mobility, most accurate in class, great leader, overexuberant
Josh Allen- big, mobile, great arm, considerable accuracy issues
Thanks, that's all we need to know.