Former UCLA head coach Jim Mora took some people by surprise last week when he said he'd take USC quarterback Sam Darnold first overall, rather than Josh Rosen, who he coached for three years before being fired last fall.
Mora initially said the decision would be due to scheme fit for the owners of the first pick, the Cleveland Browns, but he offered further explanation Sunday.
"(Rosen) needs to be challenged intellectually so he doesn’t get bored. He’s a millennial. He wants to know why. Millennials, once they know why, they’re good," Mora said, according to Peter King of SI.com. "Josh has a lot of interests in life. If you can hold his concentration level and focus only on football for a few years, he will set the world on fire. He has so much ability, and he’s a really good kid."
Mora believes Rosen would benefit more by being groomed under an experienced veteran, but he possesses all the skills and intangibles to be the franchise quarterback teams seek at the top of the draft.
"Josh, I think, without a doubt, is the number one quarterback in the draft. He’s a franchise-changer. He’s got the ability to have an immediate impact. His arm talent, intelligence, and his ability to see the game and diagnose the game is rare. He’d come to the sidelines after a play and it was uncanny - he could right away say exactly why he made every decision," said Mora.
