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

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October 1, 2016; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen (3) throws against the Arizona Wildcats during the second half at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

Measureables

Josh Rosen is listed at 6-foot-3 and 218 pounds.

Of the 21 quarterbacks taken in the top 60 picks since 2012 Rosen, is tied for the fourth-shortest. While Rosen isn’t as short as say Johnny Manziel, who’s listed at 5-foot-11, he is slightly shorter than the prototypical NFL QB.

Of the 16 highest-ranked quarterbacks of 2016 according to Pro Football Focus, only seven stood 6-foot-3 or shorter. Of the seven, only one quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, was selected in the first round. While it is telling that players 6-foot-3 and shorter can still be incredibly successful in the NFL, it is interesting to note that only one was a first-round pick, and a late one at that.

Teams shy away from players who are too short in the first round of the draft because of fears that their lack of stature will impact their ability to see the field once the ball in snapped.

Similarly teams often shy away from players who weigh less than 220 pounds.

Of the 21 QBs taken in the top 60 picks of the NFL draft since 2012, only six weigh less than Rosen.

NFL teams routinely pass over light quarterbacks because of fear of injury. A quarterback like Robert Griffin III, a dynamic athlete while leading Baylor 218 pounds, missed major stretches of his pro career as a result of consistent injury. In five NFL seasons, the former No. 2 overall selection only appeared in 42 games.

Of the top 16 NFL quarterbacks during the 2016-2017 season, only four weighed less than 218 pounds, and none was selected in the first round of the NFL draft. Simply put, it would appear that pro teams typically are weary of selecting a slight quarterback with a high pick. While thinner quarterbacks typically run fast 40-yard dashes and can be dynamic athletes, they are also far more likely to get injured and thus become unreliable.

These quarterbacks can often gain muscle mass as they enter professional conditioning programs, but the additional weight can take away some of the speed and elusiveness that often give small quarterbacks their competitive advantage.

Josh has already experienced one season ending injury, a broken collarbone, during his sophomore season at UCLA, and his ability to remain healthy over a 16 game season in the NFL will be paramount to his success as a pro.

Fortunately for Rosen he not a traditional dual threat college quarterback, instead doing the majority of his damage with his arm from the pocket. While he may only weight 218 pounds at the time of this article, there is no reason that he couldn’t eventually add 10-15 pounds and remain a deadly pocket passer.

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