USC quarterback Sam Darnold has yet to enter the 2018 NFL Draft. But if he does, he wants teams to know that he’d be happy to play anywhere.
While UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen has reservations about going to a bad team — namely the Cleveland Browns — Darnold has a starkly different take.
“Whenever I come out to go to the NFL, I think I’d be honored to play for any team,” Darnold said, via ESPN. “It’s been a dream of mine for such a long time to play in the NFL. Any team that would want to give me that opportunity to be a part of their organization, it would mean the world to me.”
For the Browns, who are picking first, this is good news. There had previously been speculation that Darnold might not want to play for Cleveland. If these words are to be believed, that’s not an issue.
The bad news for the Browns — or any team looking for a franchise quarterback — is that Darnold doesn’t have to come out. The USC quarterback is a redshirt sophomore. So, if he’s willing to bet on his draft stock at least holding firm, he can return to the Trojans in 2018, or even 2019. But, if Darnold does enter the 2018 NFL Draft, teams won’t need to worry about him not wanting to play for them.