Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA

The Cleveland Browns finally draft their future franchise QB in Josh Rosen with this pick, obviously tied to the selection of Saquon Barkley at #1 overall when they passed on the drafts top QB. Tyrod Taylor is a good starter, but he is not your franchise QB coming out of a rebuild. After some lumps, I say somewhere around week 10-12, this is the Barkley AND Rosen show. While the first overall pick was made by a different user, I am completely on board. Cleveland wants Saquon Barkley more than any one QB in this draft and they still get a top passer at #4.

The need of a talented QB for this franchise was too great. Bradley Chubb and even Minkah Fitzpatrick were tempting here as elite defensive pieces to a team that needs them. Those guys will be great players but good defenders will be available throughout the draft. Elite quarterbacks won’t be available maybe past the very next selection, depending on how you rank them.

Once it was decided I would go with a passer rather than a positional player, this pick is clearly between Rosen and Allen. Baker Mayfield is talented and could be a great player with the right guidance but is a non-option for the Browns this high based on both his and the teams history (see Football, Johnny). This is a personal preference on my end as CLE would be applauded for hanging their hat on any franchise QB with confidence. I have a lot of opinions about all of the QBs in this draft, but I’ll let their drafters share their opinions on the them. For me, Rosen comes with fewer concerns on the playing field than Allen does. Off the field and injury concerns are the biggest reasons he fell this far.

Rosen does scare some GMs with his outspoken nature on social topics and poor coachability and leadership traits, but this is all just reports and none of us actually know the guy. To me his outspoken opinions and general cockiness are non-issues, while a +personality in the locker room and coachability on the field need to be present to gain any traction as a QB in this league. He also has the murkiest injury history of the drafts top QBs with shoulder and concussion issues. He had two concussions just last year, but if he is fully recovered I don’t see that hurting him (#TTP). Some disqualify him on his poor intangibles alone, but it has also been reported that his combine interviews went well and that he has been trying to repair frayed relationships with UCLA players/coaches for the past year. On the field, his most undderrated con for me is his 20 fumbles, though he only lost 7 total in 30 games and has decent hand size (9 7/8”). There isn’t a whole lot else to pick on. While most of his concerns are off the field, his arm strength and mobility are areas in his play that he should look to improve.

While Josh Rosen could use a better deep ball and more speed, he may not need those tools in his toolkit to be an elite passer at the next level. When he steps on the field, any defense better know it. His footwork and throwing mechanics are perfect and it makes his accuracy deadly at all levels. His pocket presence, progression reads, and decision making are NFL proficient at worst. He has a real pocket presence and the best arm talent in this class, and he is never afraid to take a hit to get a pass off for his team. The Browns have a replenished and, dare I say, talented set of offensive weapons in Jarvis Landry, Josh Gordon, David Njoku, and now Barkley; Josh Rosen is the best option in this draft to get the ball into their hands cleanly and consistently and let them make plays. The stats don’t lie. He only played 6 games in his sophmore season due to injury, but he had his best numbers in his final year. For his 30 game career at UCLA he averaged a 60% completion percentage, 8 yards per attempt, over 300 yards per game, and a +2:1 TD/INT. He has good height at 6’4” so his frame has plenty of room for muscle, as he is only 220-230lbs. He is the best guy for Cleveland to build their passing game around.

This is a very important pick for this team and they better do their homework on this QB. I’m just a blogger so I can be wrong but they REALLY need to get it right. Up until now, since Tim Couch, they have avoided taking a quarterback this high. I went back into their draft history and I could not find one single quarterback (one!!!!!) that they drafted that was successful in this league. I stopped scrolling at 1975 when the stats were not listed for the names i didn’t recognize. This pick would vote of confidence in their “football guys” ability to scout and identify elite passers, a comfort level with the risk of not selecting more elite players at other positions, and a confidence in your coach and system to develop an elite quarterback. Since they can take their pick of their favorite QB, it is not just about Josh Rosen or whoever they pick. It is not about stats and even wins and losses. This is about an organization correcting a wrong that has never been right. You need an elite QB for your team to be successful in the National Foltball League, and the Browns have literally never drafted one. With this pick that has (hopefully) changed. Josh Rosen and Saquon Barkley are both extremely talented and gravity pulling players at sexy positions, and the franchise and it’s fans will get a much needed breath of fresh air seeing them take the field. They are players the entire nation would tune in to watch. These two at their ceiling and with the right cast could take this team to the pinnacle.

If the Cleveland Browns can fill their defensive needs later in the draft or via trade, this long rebuild may take a hairpin turn towards relevance with the help of these two selections. This will be seen as a momentous and victorious day for the sports most ridiculed franchise. Josh “Chosen” Rosen is the chosen one at #4 overall.

Trust The Process,
MJ1893

2018 BGN Community Mock Draft Order

1) Browns (GMinTraining): Saquon Barkley

2) Giants (ablesser88): Quenton Nelson

3) Jets (20Safety_Hazards): Sam Darnold

4) Browns (MJ1893): Josh Rosen

5) Broncos (drc242):

6) Colts (I Need a Username):

7) Buccaneers (dunc123):

8) Bears (NVEagleShark):

9) 49ers (Doug Pederson’s Pair of Balls):

10) Raiders (Milehighbirds):

11) Dolphins (danishdynamite_):

12) Bills (LAOJoe)

13) Washington (Eagle1987):

14) Packers (89Tremaine):

15) Cardinals (TJ “Ben Simmons” Mcconnell):

16) Ravens (PhillyEagles2011):

17) Chargers (LBCeaglesFan!):

18) Seahawks (KEZHOG):

19) Cowboys (Brawnybalboa):

20) Lions (dshelton5):

21) Bengals (Palaniappan K M):

22) Bills (BeamerWentzorBentley):

23) Patriots (jy1187):

24) Panthers (dceagles):

25) Titans (ei78):

26) Falcons (SakPrescott):

27) Saints (MidMajorMatt):

28) Steelers (SummersInVA):

29) Jaguars (RecarTabmok):

30) Vikings (AnthroEagle):

31) Patriots (PhilaWolverine):

32) Eagles (JALupowitz):

Now it’s time for you to vote for who YOU think the Browns should pick in the 2018 BGN Consensus Mock Draft.

2018 BGN Consensus Mock Draft Order

1) Browns: Saquon Barkley

2) Giants: Sam Darnold

3) Jets: Josh Rosen

4) Browns: