Josh Rosen's college coach, Jim Mora, advised the Cleveland Browns to draft USC's Sam Darnold first overall instead of the quarterback he mentored at UCLA during an appearance on NFL Network.
"Because of fit, I would take Sam Darnold if I were the Cleveland Browns," Mora said, according to NFL.com's Dan Parr. "I think (he has) that blue-collar, gritty attitude. I think his teammates will love him. I think the city will love him. He'll say the right things. He'll come in and represent well. I think he kind of represents what Cleveland is. And then if I was one of the New York teams, I'd take Josh like that. I think they're both going to be great pros."
Mora recruited and helped develop Rosen into a Heisman Trophy candidate at UCLA. He said his endorsement of Darnold shouldn't be interpreted as a shot at Rosen, even though it's unusual for a college coach to recommend a player from another program over his own.
"I think some day, hopefully, we're talking about the Peyton Manning-Tom Brady debate. Which one's better?" Mora said. "I think both of those guys can be those types of guys."
The New York Giants and New York Jets own the second and third picks, respectively, after the Browns at No. 1.
Mora was let go by the Bruins following a disappointing 2017 season.
