Josh Rosen - The 'Nine Mistakes' Made Ahead Of Him
By Andy Davies
With Josh Rosen once again looking for work, Andy Davies takes a look at the 2018 NFL Draft, and in particular the selections made ahead of the much-maligned quarterback:
Josh Rosen has once again been released from an NFL team.
He joined his sixth NFL team in five seasons this summer, signing for the Cleveland Browns back in July. Once taken tenth overall in the 2018 draft, Rosen has only played a regular season snap with three of those six teams.
Widely considered one of the modern-day NFL busts, Rosen has not had any success on the field. The Cardinals had a 3-13 record during Rosen’s rookie campaign, with Steve Wilks losing his job in what remains his only season as an NFL head coach.
Rosen started 13 of those games and threw for 2,278 yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Kliff Kingsbury was hired in place of Wilks and with the first overall pick, Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray was taken. This resulted in Rosen’s place as Arizona’s starter in doubt.
Rosen was then traded to the Miami Dolphins, but he only started three games, losing every single one. He threw for a disappointing 567 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions.
Four Teams, Eleven Passes
Rosen was waived following the selection of Tua Tagovailoa with the fifth overall pick during the 2020 NFL Draft. He bounced around the league, signing for both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers practice squad during the 2020 campaign. He then joined the Atlanta Falcons and had 11 attempted passes across the course of three games, where he threw for 19 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions.
As mentioned, Rosen joined the Cleveland Browns this offseason. According to ESPN.com, he was fourth on the depth chart behind Deshaun Watson, Jacoby Brissett, and Joshua Dobbs. Whilst Watson is suspended for the first eleven games, Rosen would have been seen as the third-choice quarterback – but clearly did not impress enough in training camp.
This is a sad state of affairs for the former UCLA product, even more so when you look at his Twitter profile. Almost a snapshot of his nomadic career to date, Rosen’s profile photo is him at the 2018 NFL Draft, where he was taken by the Cardinals, whilst his cover photo shows him in a Dolphins jersey and his bio stating “Quarterback, Cleveland Browns”.
Rosen’s struggles in the NFL rarely gets sympathy, due to his comments made after being taken. On stage with the world watching, Rosen bullishly announced that “nine mistakes were made ahead of me. And I will make sure over the next decade or so that they will know that they made a mistake.”
Four years on, Rosen is yet to come good on his promise. And it appears the opportunity for him to do so has vanished But who were these supposed nine mistakes, and where are they now?
1st Overall: Baker Mayfield, QB
The Cleveland Browns’ selection of Baker Mayfield was somewhat of a surprise in the draft, with Darnold and Rosen seen as the best two products coming out of the 2018 quarterback class.
Baker has joined the Carolina Panthers this offseason after the Browns went out to get Deshuan Watson. He may have left in difficult circumstances and whilst he did not exactly have a Hall of Fame career in Cleveland, he did guide the Browns to their first playoff win since New Year’s Day 1995 – their first postseason appearance since the 2002 season.
Over the course of his Browns career, he threw for 14,125 yards, 92 touchdowns and 56 interceptions in 60 games.
Baker perhaps did not have the career that you would want with your first overall pick, but he has been a part of Browns history and has the chance to show the world once again what he can do with the Panthers.
2nd Overall: Saquon Barkley, RB
What could have been?
Barkley had a tremendous start to NFL life with the New York Giants, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018 after 1,308 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He then followed that up with 1,003 rushing yards and six touchdowns in 2019.
However, since then, he has played just 15 games across two seasons. An injury-hit 2020 campaign saw him played just two games, recording 34 yards and zero touchdowns. He managed 13 games in 2021 but did not seem the same player, recording a measly 593 yards and two touchdowns.
His drop-off is not the only one that we have seen in recent years. Ezekiel Elliot, Todd Gurley, and Christian McCaffrey are prime examples and have contributed massively to the pay running backs get compared to quarterbacks, wide receivers, and defensive backs. However, this move has massively impacted the importance of running backs in the first-round of the NFL Draft. No running back has been drafted higher than 24th overall since, with no running back taken in the first-round of the 2022 Draft.
The second overall pick of Barkley in 2018 seemed a no brainer after the rookie season he had. However, ever since there have been questions as to why they took him so high, especially with the struggles of Daniel Jones and the inevitable comparison with the seventh overall pick in this draft…
3rd Overall: Sam Darnold, QB
If the Giants went quarterback second overall, Darnold could still have been taken over Josh Allen based on their respective college tape.
However, taking Darnold would have been a bigger mistake than Barkley.
After a disappointing three seasons with the New York Jets Jets, Darnold was traded to the Panthers and had a good start in 2021. They went 3-0 but then the wheels fell off, and this offseason he lost his starting job to the aforementioned Baker Mayfield.
The Jets traded up to take Darnold third overall, who threw for 8,097 yards, 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions during those three seasons. In Carolina last season, he threw for nine touchdowns, 13 interceptions and 2,527 yards. Whilst he has been coached by Todd Bowles, Adam Gase and Matt Rhule, which gives him some leeway, there is no doubt he is an NFL bust.
4th Overall: Denzel Ward, CB
Since being selected by the Browns in 2018, Denzel Ward has been more than a solid NFL cornerback. With two Pro Bowls, he has also been recognised around the league for his performances.
Ward has registered two career interceptions returned for a touchdown and ten in total throughout his career, as well as 50 passes deflected, 3 forced fumbles and 186 combined tackles (151 solo). This might not hit the heights of a Hall of Fame career, but Ward has certainly been a success in Cleveland.
5th Overall: Bradley Chubb, EDGE
Bradley Chubb is an interesting one. The Denver Broncos edge rusher has started 14 or more games in two seasons. but niggling injuries has seen him fail to start more than seven games in the other two year at Mile High.
Chubb reached the Pro Bowl during his rookie season, recording 12 sacks and 21 quarterback hits. Two seasons later, he had 7.5 sacks and 19 quarterback hits in 14 games.
However, staying on the field has been his issue. If he stays healthy, then he is a valuable asset, and the Broncos clearly saw that when they exercised his fifth-year option last year. Chubb spoke of his frustration:
“The injuries, of course, always bring you down. When you’re injured, you kind of feel like you’re away from the team. You don’t feel like the person they brought you in here to be.”
“I had a lot of battles with myself internally. My (family) knows, and everybody around me that’s close knows … It was a tough ride, but I’m glad I’m on the other side of it.’’
Chubb will be a Pro Bowler contender should he continue his form from both 2018 and 2020. However, warning signs will appear if injuries are once again a factor in 2022.
6th Overall: Quenton Nelson, OG
The second-best player on this list, Colts offensive lineman Quenton Nelson has been exactly as advertised and hit the ground running straight away. This has been evident, with Nelson making the Pro Bowl in every season since turning pro.
He allowed just one sack in 767 offensive snaps in 2021 and is arguably the second-best lineman in the league – and the best guard in the NFL. The Colts hit it out of the park when they took Nelson sixth overall, as did the Bills with the next pick.
7th Overall: Josh Allen, QB
Josh Allen is the perfect example of a team having patience with their quarterback. He struggled in his first two seasons with the Buffalo Bills, throwing for 2,074 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2018, and just over 3,000 yards, 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions a year later.
Then, it all changed for Allen. He threw for 37 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and 4,544 yards in 2020, before continuing the momentum in 2021, where he threw for 4,407 yards, 36 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
A cannon for an arm, as well as strength and a brilliant ability to use his feet on the fly, Allen is pure box office. The only thing missing is an MVP award and a Super Bowl ring. Both seem very much a possibility in 2022 as Allen continues to stake his claim as a top three QB.
8th Overall: Roquan Smith, LB
This was another solid pick. Despite no Pro Bowl selections in his career to date, The Chicago Bears’ Roquan Smith has the stats to suggest one is just around the corner.
Smith made the headlines this offseason by requesting a trade but has since declared he will play out his contract. With 524 combined tackles throughout his career (348 solo), the linebacker will be an asset to any teams who wishes to get him next year.
He finished sixth last season for solo tackles (95) , and fifth for combined ones (163) . In 2020, he was second in the league for solo tackles (98) and only five players had more combined ones (139). He has been a dominant force in the league these last two seasons. If the Bears don’t consider him worthy of building a team around, some other team will.
9th Overall: Mike McGlinchey, OT
Offensive lineman are not sexy picks, but Mike McGinchley has been a consistent contributor to the San Francisco 49ers the last four years.
McGlinchey earned a 69.8 grade from PFF in 2021, with just four penalties given and just two sacks allowed in 466 offensive snaps.
His return from injury will be vital for the 49ers in 2022 as they hope to return to the NFC Championship game. Had McGinchley been on the field in the big game last season, the outcome may have been different.
ANDY DAVIES
NFL ANALYST
A current Sports Journalism masters student, Andy has been writing NFL articles since January 2020. Originally from Wales, Andy also writes for pro football mania and dolphins talk, as well as appearing on podcasts and videos for euro tripz. find him on twitter @andydaviessport.