Josh Rosen has repeatedly said he’s not ready to make a decision about whether to declare for the 2018 NFL Draft. Now we have an inkling of perhaps why he’s on the fence heading into the pre-draft process.
The junior quarterback out of UCLA could potentially decide to remain in school if he thinks the Cleveland Browns are set on selecting him. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, he’d rather play for the New York Giants, which mirrors Eli Manning’s mindset about the then San Diego Chargers when he came out in 2004.
“UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen would prefer to play for the Giants over the Browns and would be hesitant to declare for next year’s NFL draft if he knew that Cleveland was going to take him with the No. 1 overall pick, according to league sources familiar with the situation.”
Rosen is seen by almost everyone who covers the draft for a living as a lock to be a top-5 pick in the draft, should he declare. Blessed with tremendous natural arm talent and an inherent ability to perform at a high level under pressure, Rosen could very well be a guy the Browns want to draft. And they should.
That said, given the franchise’s track record of mismanagement at this key position, it’s hardly surprising Rosen, or any other young quarterback, might not want to land in the Factory of Sadness.