Browns: Top 5 quarterback targets in the 2018 NFL Draft
UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen is the most pro-ready and physically talented quarterback in this draft class. In fact, it may come as a surprise to not see him at No. 1 on this list.
So, what’s wrong with him? Why is he not at the top of this list? Well, simply put, it is because he said it himself: he might not be the right fit in Cleveland.
UCLA QB Josh Rosen on getting drafted by certain teams, if he comes out this year: “I’d rather be a lower pick at the right team than a higher at the wrong team.”
— Josh Weinfuss (@joshweinfuss) December 26, 2017
Sure, Rosen said nothing about the Browns directly, but one can certainly infer exactly what the former UCLA Bruin meant by his statement. Really, it is a shame that the Browns will likely stay away from Rosen due to these comments.
Rosen is frighteningly accurate, can make every throw in the book, and is the cleanest, polished, and most NFL-ready quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck in 2012. He has the highest floor of any quarterback in this draft.
But maybe that leads into the other problem with Rosen. That is, everyone sort of already knows exactly what he is. His flooring is incredibly high, but his ceiling is also a bit low.
Rosen is most often compared to Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons or Eli Manning of the New York Giants. While those two are far better than anything the Browns have had in the past two decades, they are not necessarily in the “top tier” of NFL quarterbacks.
It’s frustrating that Rosen, the “sure thing” quarterback of this class, might not want to play for the Browns. But general manager John Dorsey may have his eye on the other top quarterback in this class.