The QB class in the 2018 Draft grew a lot stronger Wednesday, as underclassmen — UCLA's Josh Rosen and USC's Sam Darnold — officially declared for the NFL.
Rosen's announcement, made from his Twitter account, has long been expected on the heels of the junior throwing 26 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions for the 6-7 Bruins.
But multiple reports, including from our own Greg Gabriel, indicated Darnold was considering returning to USC for his final season after taking a step back statistically in his redshirt sophomore campaign in 2017, when he threw 26 touchdowns to 13 interceptions for the 11-3 Trojans.
Instead, Darnold shared his announcement in a video on Instagram just minutes after Rosen's.
Both quarterbacks, along with Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma and Wyoming's Josh Allen, could be high first-round picks, with Darnold suddenly perhaps the favorite to go first overall to the Browns.
Gabriel wrote last week that as many as four passers could come off the board, perhaps early in Round One, where QB-needy teams like Cleveland (first and fourth overall picks) and the Giants (No. 2 overall pick) select after recently making front-office changes.
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