Josh Rosen was the fourth quarterback drafted on Thursday night when the Arizona Cardinals selected him at No. 10 overall…but he might turn out to be the best in this crop.
Josh Rosen wasted no time letting the football world know what he thought of being taken at No. 10 overall, as the fourth quarterback coming off the board Thursday’s Round 1 of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Rosen was none too pleased about what he perceived as an unacceptable fall in the first round.
“I was pretty pissed off when I fell,” said Rosen, after the Cardinals moved up to stop his fall at 10th overall. “One, two and three went by and it just kind of was a blur after that.”
He also had some bold words for the nine teams ahead of the Cardinals who passed on him, three of whom selected other quarterbacks.
“Nine mistakes were made ahead of me,” Rosen said. “And I will make sure over the next decade or so that they will know that they made a mistake.”
Some in the media have criticized Rosen for his bold words, including — of course — Stephen A. Smith. Smith called Rosen’s comments “idiotic” — “I’m not calling him an idiot, literally,” Smith said — and declared that Rosen would regret uttering those words.
Obviously, Smith is not the best example of levelheaded, legitimate criticism, but there were other takes on Twitter — such as that Rosen put a target on his back with those comments and that they further supported the view some have of him as a spoiled, rich, white kid from Los Angeles.
For their part, however, Cardinals fans should be feeling as fired up about Rosen’s comments as he was when he made them.
The biggest knock on Rosen coming into the draft has been that he has indicated in the past that he doesn’t “need’ football and that his interests outside of the game are too varied — that, essentially, teams and fans should be wary that he won’t buy in and give the game everything he has.
These comments should, at the very least, broadcast that Rosen takes this all very seriously. The refreshing thing about Rosen is that while he might be outspoken, there’s nothing manufactured about his personality — he says what’s on his mind. Let general managers and head coaches worry about that, because they will, but as far as the fans are concerned? Who cares!
Plus, there’s the very legitimate chance that Rosen turns out to be the most successful quarterback in this class — which would make his comments more than legitimate. Rosen is a prototypical pocket passer who had a 62.2 completion percentage for 3,756 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2017, thriving after the team built a more pro-style scheme around him. Rosen’s near-perfect throwing motion and footwork will give him a leg up on every other quarterback selected on Thursday.
Next: Every NFL Team's Best Draft Pick Of All-Time
Cardinals fans, Rosen just showed you how much he cares about the game. You should embrace it — and him — as the new face of your team.