2018 NFL Draft fantasy profiles: QB Josh Rosen

Josh Rosen really shouldn’t be a polarizing player in this year’s draft. However, we’ve gotten to the point in the whole scouting process where Josh Rosen The Football Player has been overanalyzed so it’s time to overanalyze Josh Rosen The Person.

As a quarterback, Rosen might just be the prettiest player coming into the NFL this year. His footwork and mechanics are clean and have the kind of polish you’d want entering the league. Heck, he might have definitely has more polish in the pocket than a handful of current NFL starters. Of all the QB prospects in this year’s draft, he’s the guy you can plug in and forget about from day one. The same is true with Sam Darnold—don’t go thinking that I’m contradicting myself just one day later—but Darnold does have footwork issues to work on in order for him to be his best NFL-self. Rosen is a guy who’s extremely polished for an incoming rookie and will instantly make an impact on the field.

The difference between Rosen and Darnold lies in their ceilings. While Darnold has immense arm talent and, if you can pare down his turnovers, you’d soon find yourself with one of the top young quarterbacks in the league, Rosen’s ceiling does not have the same height. His arm lacks elite strength and it takes effort for him to drive the ball downfield. He also has a tendency to play hero ball instead of taking what the defense is giving him. Now this might stem from him not trusting his receivers—a group that had 31 drops this past year—but it’s clear Rosen often holds onto the ball too long.

Now we get to these Josh Rosen The Person issues. (Spoiler alert: these “issues” are stupid and aren’t actually issues.) I guess it kinda started with Rosen’s college coach Jim Mora—after he was fired from the Bruins last fall—going on NFL Network and saying he’d rather take Sam Darnold at number one, which seems kinda shitty throwing your young quarterback under the bus. Then, Mora further dug himself a hole, saying this in an interview with Peter King regarding Rosen:

I’m sorry Jim Mora/Ross Tucker/NFL brainiacs, but since when has “asking why” been such a big effing deal? Isn’t that exactly what you want out of your quarterback? And can we cool it with all this millennial talk? Of course he’s a millennial, you know why? BECAUSE EVERY FREAKING PLAYER COMING INTO THE LEAGUE THIS YEAR IS A MILLENNIAL!! Did I say that loud enough for you stanch, crotchety NFL old-schoolers in the back?

If a team is unsure on Rosen because of his arm strength or because of his propensity to play hero ball, that’s fine. But if you take him off your draft board because he’s a millennial who’s vocal about his beliefs (he’s not a big Trump fan which I guess might bother some owners), then you’re dumb. Dumb dumb dumb.

Best Fantasy Fits

• New York Giants: If I’m being very true to the title of this section—that is, best FANTASY fits—then the Giants really don’t belong on this list. It helps no one’s fantasy value to sit behind Eli Manning for an entire season. That being said, maybe Eli reminds us all that he’s really an average quarterback and his terrible play pushes Rosen into a starting role this season. Then I’m all for this pairing. If Pat Shurmur can work around Case Keenum’s weaknesses and turn him into an MVP candidate, then he can certainly make Rosen a legit fantasy star.
• New York Jets: Originally I wanted to be creative and keep the Jets off the list because they’ve already been mentioned as a team for both Darnold and Mayfield, however, after the Jets (and the Broncos) there really isn’t a team that needs a quarterback until the Dolphins and Bills. Between the two of those teams, I like Buffalo much better than Miami. Anyways, the Jets have actually a rather strong receiving core with Robby Anderson, Jermaine Kearse, Terrelle Pryor and Quincy Enunwa coming back. I would be surprised if Rosen isn’t playing in New York next year.
• Denver Broncos: If the Jets do pass on Rosen, the Broncos would be smart to capitalize on their mistake. John Elway hasn’t had the greatest track record recently with drafting first round quarterbacks, but Rosen would be a big step in the right direction. Rosen would have Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders to throw to, both of whom could benefit from having a stable quarterback under center. Now, there is the question of Case Keenum who the Broncos signed this offseason, but when he turns back into a pumpkin, Rosen will have the starting gig.