As a junior at UCLA, Josh Rosen has the option of declaring for the NFL draft or returning to school for one more season. A highly touted quarterback widely considered a strong contender to be drafted No. 1 overall, Rosen has plenty of incentive to turn professional, but a report Sunday indicated that he’s having some qualms about that.
Those qualms can be summed up in two words: Cleveland Browns.
At 0-14, the Browns began Sunday a near-lock to gain that top pick, with the 2-14 Giants having an outside shot at it. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, “league sources familiar with the situation” are saying that Rosen “would be hesitant to declare for next year’s NFL draft if he knew that Cleveland was going to take him.”
Rosen “would rather be with a more stable franchise, such as the Giants,” Schefter reported.
The Browns recently replaced personnel chief Sashi Brown with former Chiefs general manager John Dorsey, making him the sixth person to hold that position for Cleveland since 2009. In that span, which includes Jimmy Haslam becoming team owner in 2012, the team has had five head coaches but has declared that it intends to bring back the current one, Hue Jackson, next season.
Rosen has until Jan. 15 to formally declare for the draft, which will be held in April, and he will not make a decision until after UCLA plays in Tuesday’s Cactus Bowl against Kansas State. The 6-4, 218-pound California native is unlikely to play in that game because of a concussion he suffered in the Bruins’ regular season finale.
Having passed on chances to select impressive young quarterbacks Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson in the past two drafts, the Browns appear set to draft one next year. They took DeShone Kizer in the second round last year and have given him most of this season’s starts at quarterback, but the Notre Dame product has struggled amid numerous reports that Jackson is dissatisfied with his performance.
In his third season as the Bruins’ starter, Rosen has completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 3,717 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 passes. While there had been some hopes for a more dominant junior season, Rosen has impressed scouts with his composure, mechanics and anticipation.
In addition to Rosen, other quarterbacks expected to be taken in the first round of the draft and possibly as early as No. 1 include USC’s Sam Darnold, Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield and Wyoming’s Josh Allen, with Louisville’s Lamar Jackson and Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph also in contention. Darnold, a redshirt sophomore, took issue in November with a report that he might stay at USC rather than risk being drafted by the Browns.
“I didn’t say anything about the Browns,” Darnold said at the time. “I’ve never said anything bad about [an NFL] team. They know I would never say anything.”
Schefter reported Sunday that possible reservations on the part of draft prospects “will not dissuade” Dorsey from “taking the player he believes is the best fit for his franchise.” The Browns have won just four games over the past three seasons.
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