Franchise QBS in the 2018 NFL Mock Draft
The NFL preseason might be complete but that doesn’t mean football is going away anytime soon. Most of the country is currently watching college football ramp up with baited breath.
And if that wasn’t enough, there’s next year’s NFL draft to think about. Sure, next year is still some way off. But it is never too early to start crunching the numbers. The draft is going to affect the betting odds for all the games, so it is only natural for people to get a little obsessive with their predictions.
Chris Burke from Sports Illustrated has already presented his NFL mock draft for 2017 and his first two selections seem very quarterback centered. One could be persuaded to agree with him on the issue of the New York Jets taking USC’s Sam Darnold. After all, the Jets require augmentation across the board and Darnold could do wonders for them.
As a redshirt sophomore quarterback, one cannot judge Darnold too harshly. He’s only had ten starts so far, so one cannot really begin to form an accurate picture of who the athlete is and what he can accomplish.
Of course, one wouldn’t be faulted for doubting the buzz that Darnold has been generating this year. But those doubts must be contrasted with the talent the athlete has shown so far.
The quarterback is clearly gifted. There is a reason everyone has been scrutinizing his draft potential. He could go on to do amazing things with New York, especially if the draft plays out as expected.
With the San Francisco 49ers, UCLA’s Josh Rosen could be the franchise passer they have been waiting for. Josh Rosen’s 2016 took a problematic turn when he suffered a shoulder injury. That was in October. Nearly a year later, Josh will participate in the UCLA/Texas A&M showdown on Sunday.
The match will have a drastic impact on the athlete’s future prospects. It isn’t enough for him to show that he has recovered from his injuries enough to play a proper football match.
Josh must prove he is the same quarterback that he was in 2016. Better yet, it will work to his advantage if Josh can show that he has actually grown stronger over the past year. Coach Jim Mora initially counted Josh Rosen out of the 2018 draft.
He didn’t believe that Josh would recover in time to get his name out there. But that was a couple of weeks ago. Now, Jim wouldn’t be surprised if Rosen ends up in the top five.
The athlete just needs a huge season. The 49ers need a passer quickly. Some fans think that San Francisco might have bigger plans in play, plans that will work to resolve their issues in the position in the long turn.
But there are already signs suggesting that they will be hunting the position early.
Besides Josh and Darnold, Burke’s mock draft includes Mason Rudolph going to the Buffalo Bills, Josh Allen going to Jacksonville, Luke Falk heading over to the Arizona Cardinals and Lamar Jackson finding his way to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Josh and Darnold make the most sense right now, though, because the 49ers and the Jets are fighting to rebuild.
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