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

Scouting Report

When evaluating Josh Rosen’s game film it becomes incredibility clear why scouts love him.

This play from Josh Rosen’s freshman season shows off his supreme arm talent. After taking the snap out of the shotgun, Rosen fakes the hand-off to his runningback Paul Perkins and instead commits to throwing a play-option pass. Rosen drops back 5 steps, sets his feet and launches the ball 50 yards in the air directly into the hands of his receiver.

Not only does this throw show off Josh’s impressive arm strength, but it also highlights  Rosen’s elite ability to thread the needle and read a defense. Josh drops the ball over his receiver’s left shoulder, making it impossible for the cornerback covering him to make a play on the ball. After seeing that there was no single high safety camping in the middle of the field, Rosen leads his receiver between the hash marks, ensuring him the open space needed to elude his defender and score the touchdown untouched.

On this play while still in high school, Rosen breaks down his own 60-yard touchdown pass. His understanding of the responsibilities of each receiver, and exactly how to best attack the opposing defense based on their movements after the snap is impressive for a college quarterback, let alone a junior in high school.

This play, again broken down by Josh, shows that even at a young age he had a deep understanding of how to run an offense. In an age where quarterbacks graduate college without knowing the difference between cover 2 and cover 3 it’s increasingly rare to find a quarterback who can draw up a sophisticated play action readzone play.

While Rosen is often knocked for his lack of athleticism, he isn’t a statue in the pocket. On this highlight, Rosen’s top reads are covered on a quick slant play and instead of standing in the pocket waiting for a receiver to get open, Josh instead takes off to make a play himself. He spots a hole in the defensive line and takes the ball up B gap before cutting it to the sideline and diving into the endzone for a touchdown.

While the run isn’t particularly flashy, it does show that Josh can make unexpected plays with his feet if needed with quality results.

While he isn’t as athletic as quarterbacks like Marcus Mariota or Lamar Jackson, he is much closer to Matt Ryan than Phillip Rivers.