Josh Rosen reportedly does not want to play for the Browns. His crosstown rival Sam Darnold says he doesn't care who drafts him and won't let the draft order influence his decision to stay in school or declare for the 2018 NFL Draft.
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On Sunday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Rosen, who is expected to battle Darnold for both the top quarterback spot and top-overall selection in April's draft, would prefer to play for the New York Giants than the Cleveland Browns and would consider returning for his senior season at UCLA if he learns the Browns are planning to draft him.
Later in the day, the Browns locked up the No. 1 pick for a second straight season with a loss to the Bears. The Giants will either have the No. 2 or No. 3 pick.
"I'd rather be a lower pick at the right team than a higher one at the wrong team,'' Rosen said on Tuesday, a day before the Bruins played Kansas State in the Cactus Bowl, a game Rosen did not play in.
Darnold does not share the same sentiment, telling Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch that he'd be honored to be chosen by any team.
I asked USC QB Sam Darnold if he'd be less inclined to turn pro if the team he was likely to go to looked like a hopeless franchise (i.e. the Browns). He said it wouldn't, that he'd be honored to go to any team that wanted him.
— Bill Rabinowitz (@brdispatch) December 27, 2017
In late November, Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com posted a report that "at least" two general managers said they weren't interested in Rosen. On Sunday, Pauline revealed new Cleveland Browns' general manager John Dorsey was one of those two people (for what it's worth, Dorsey wasn't introduced until Dec. 10).
Darnold and Rosen, along with all other college football underclassmen, have until Jan. 15 to declare for the 2018 draft.
