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UCLA Football: Is Josh Rosen a sure-fire franchise quarterback?

By Matty Breisch

October 1, 2016; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen (3) avoids a tackle against Arizona Wildcats linebacker Cody Ippolito during the first half at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
October 1, 2016; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen (3) avoids a tackle against Arizona Wildcats linebacker Cody Ippolito during the first half at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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In a recent piece for NFL.com, Bucky Brooks declared that there are no sure-fire franchise QBs in the 2018 class. Could UCLA’s Josh Rosen prove him wrong?

Franchise quarterbacks are hard to find.

Having one could very well be the difference between playing in January and taking an early vacation. The only problem? There simply are not enough franchise caliber QBs.

Every year a number of young signal-callers enter the NFL with dreams of becoming the next great superstar, yet year after year numerous teams find themselves picking toward the top of the NFL Draft dreaming of selecting a player to turn their franchise around.

Players like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees have led their respective teams to countless playoff berths over their decade spanning careers and returned home as Super Bowl champions.

There is no definitive definition of what exactly makes up a franchise quarterback, but it is fairly well accepted that at any given time there are only a dozen or so franchise quarterbacks in the NFL.

When a team invests a first-round draft pick in a quarterback, they want a player who can lead their team for years to come, and one whom they can build their squad, staff and playbook around. However, based on recent data, there are teams who would be happy just to get a consistent starter as a return on their investment.

Since 2012, there have been 18 QBs taken in the first round alone and 21 in the first 60 picks. These players have had very different careers, careers that can help to set up a basis for us to compare future prospects to.

While teams like the Seahawks and the Cowboys have found starting quarterbacks in the 3rd day of the NFL draft, these are the exception not the rule. If a team truly wants to optimize their chances of drafting a starting QB, they will typically be looking for one in the first round.

There are currently four quarterbacks that are getting early consideration to be first round caliber players. This piece will evaluate Josh Rosen, UCLA’s junior signal-caller, against his peers, past and present, to see if he truly deserves to be a team’s future starting quarterback.

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