Every NFL team is always searching for the next franchise quarterback. It has eluded teams like the Cleveland Browns for decades. Once in a generation, we get one of those prospects that seem to be can’t-miss such as Andrew Luck in 2012, Peyton Manning in 1998, or John Elway in 1983. Those are some of the names who have lived up to the hype. Others such as Robert Griffin III in 2012 or Ryan Leaf in 1998 haven’t been so lucky. The next can’t-miss prospect has not even played a collegiate game yet.
UCLA true freshman quarterback and 5-star recruit Josh Rosen is one of those quarterbacks who, like Manning, is just as dangerous with his mind as he is with his arm. Rosen has elite intangibles that he displayed at the Elite 11, a Nike camp where only the top high school quarterbacks go to be coached by ex-NFL quarterbacks or gurus at the position. The camp is led by Super Bowl-winning QB Trent Dilfer. Dilfer raved at how intelligent Rosen is but noted that Rosen needs to learn how to trust the coach’s decisions, “He definitely understands defenses, but what Josh needs to learn before he takes over the keys to a major college football program is that it’s not about knowing more than the coach, it’s about doing it the coach’s way.” Although this seems like a negative, it can also be a positive. Yes, Rosen needs to let the coaches make decisions but he is smart enough to make an audible if he sees something in a defense. A quarterback’s intangibles is as important to NFL coaches as his arm. A quarterback can have all the talent in the world but fail if they do not have the ability to read defenses. Even though Peyton Manning’s arm strength is regressing, he is still a top-5 quarterback due to his elite ability to read defenses. When Rosen is in the NFL, he may very well have the ability like Manning to call his own plays.
Yes, calling Rosen the next great quarterback prospect may seem like a major stretch considering he has not even played in a collegiate game yet and is not eligible until the 2018 NFL Draft, but his combination of arm strength, accuracy, and intangibles make him an elite prospect already. A lot can happen from now and 2018, but Rosen is a name to definitely keep an eye on.