It’s common knowledge that college football players aren’t eligible for the NFL Draft until they’ve completed three years out of high school. It is because of this rule that a rising college star like UCLA Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen has to wait until 2018 for his shot in the NFL.
Even though Rosen won’t be eligible for another two years, it doesn’t stop people from wondering what he could accomplish if he was allowed to leave school earlier. Bruins head coach Jim Mora is among them when it comes to the sophomore quarterback, as he tells Albert Breer of the MMQB that Rosen could have been selected No.1 overall before Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, who were this year’s top two picks.
“His potential is unlimited,” Mora said of Rosen. “He would have been the best QB in the draft this year. There’s no question about his ability, only experience and, at this point, maturity. He’s special. And he is smart, a leader, and very well respected by his teammates. He works hard and gets it. Just needs to continue to grow and not think he’s arrived.”
That’s very high praise for the rising sophomore, though it is his own head coach stating that he’s better than the top two quarterbacks from this year’s draft. This could perhaps be just a bit premature on Mora’s part given that there is still plenty of Rosen’s game that people need to see and could warrant further improvement, especially given the increasing complexities of playing quarterback.
As a true freshman, Rosen threw for 3,670 yards with the Bruins, tossing 23 touchdowns to 11 interceptions.
Coming into his second year, teams will have a better read on Rosen as a quarterback with more game film and material to better exploit weaknesses in his game. While there’s no doubting Rosen’s potential, the next step is managing that success and taking on those increased expectations once teams begin to fully focus their game plans around the young signal caller.
Remember when Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg was the next big thing after his freshman year? Things can quickly turn around once a player starts his second season.
[MMQB]
