Things I've heard/read about Rosen: Does he love the game? He rubs teammates and coaches the wrong way. Is football important to him? Throws a really pretty football. Things I've heard/read about Mayfield: Loves the game of football. So much passion - his coaches and teammates would march into hell for him. Ultra-competitive. Work ethic is off the charts. Throws a really pretty football. And I'm not just laying into you #DoYouEvenFootballBro, bro. I see all kinds of knuckleheads (Kiper, Mayock, McShay) who say the top QBs are some combination of Rosen/Darnold/Allen ahead of Mayfield. 99% of people can't see past height.
What about Season ending shoulder injury Does not return from half time of Washington game due to undisclosed injury (concussion) Misses Utah game (same concussion) Leaves Cal game with hand injury Can we afford to spend #1 overall on a QB that will play somewhere between 10-15 games per season...again? I want a guy that will stay healthy for 16 games...Those guys are rare, I know{cough cough..Kirk Cousins..cough}.
So the natural assumption is the Browns would take Josh Rosen (or Sam Darnold, if Rosen fails medicals) since they're more "traditional GM picks" at the position. But man, reading Dorsey's break-down of what you need in a QB... The only one fitting that mold is Baker Mayfield.
Gotta Win: More big wins than any QB in this class. Beat #2, #11, #8, #10 and is facing off against #7 and could potentially face #1 or #2 in the Championship game. No QB has played as many Top 20 defenses and won all their games convincingly. Only Auburn and Ohio State played tougher schedules this season. Mayfield went 11-1 (and is still going) and is 38-9 (.808) in his career. Rosen's winning percentage is .567, Darnold's is .808. Physical Skills/Feet/Accuracy: Mayfield has displayed the ability to extend plays with his athleticism, as well as take off an run when needed. His movement in the pocket is already NFL-caliber. His accuracy mark is third best in NCAA history. Rosen is a pocket passer, albeit with very good pocket awareness/movement. Darnold is shaky in the pocket and has the ability to extend plays well. Mayfield - 68.6 Rosen - 60.8 career Darnold - 65.3 career Mindset of a Head Coach: won't know true answers since we don't sit in interviews. All three have been routinely well-regarded with respect to understanding their offense, making line calls, and breaking down defenses. Rosen and Mayfield seem to be the best with regards to their progressions and reads. Comprehend/digest playbook: Darnold plays a "pro-style" offense, but so did DeShone Kizer. All three again have received high marks here in the early going and we won't know true answers since we don't sit in on interviews. Of the three, Rosen may be the lowest-ranked in his area since the air raid system they use at UCLA doesn't have the same nuance and progressions as Oklahoma's. Gravitate to him from leadership component: Mayfield >>>>>>>>>> the field Do in adverse situations: Mayfield played three Top 20 defenses this year. Won all three. Rosen one - loss, Darnold one - loss. Baker's in the playoffs and behind only the Alabama juggernaut as favorite to win it, per Vegas. He's the favorite to win the Heisman. He had a number of 'issues' from planting the flag, the Kansas Crotch Grab, and the drunken arrest. He's owned his mistakes and moved past them. Benched and stripped of captain status for the WVU game (after the crotch-grab), he went: 14 of 17 (82.4%), 281 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, and a rating of 279.4.
And any other QB playing under Urban Meyer I'm really trying to figure out your new found affection towards Smith...It really came about AFTER my hard on for Kirk Cousins, could this be the troll coming out in you?
Not really hard to connect the dots (and Slappy can tell you it's not "new-found"). John Dorsey traded for Alex Smith as one of his signature moves in taking over the Chiefs' front office in 2013. Alex Smith has an out in his contract to become a free agent this year. John Dorsey, who actively pursued him five years ago, is now the General Manager for the Cleveland Browns. The Cleveland Browns dearly need a veteran QB to hold down the spot until the No. 1 overall pick is ready to take over the team.
Also, I've never been one of the Cousins "magic bullet" guys. I don't believe in Cousins as the answer for a number of reasons, the least of which is availability and desire for him to be in Cleveland.
Although Alex Smith has always been tagged as a "dink and dunk" QB, he's actually very good at throwing downfield. On the surface, an underneath guy like Smith would seem to run contrary to Hue Jackson's offensive approach. Here's 2017: Here's Cousins' 2017: That's a major improvement over 2016: Cousins appears to be about the same:
I can see this being a possibility because of the relationship in KC. The Chiefs just drafted Pat Mahomes, and they aren't going to wait forever, they want to see him play... Supposedly the Browns were high on Mahomes as well. We couldn't get him, so we got the guy that got him...Hopefully, whether we sign Smith or not, we will use a premium pick on a QB in the draft. Smith would be a nice bridge QB to bring the rookie along slowly, if that's the way they want to go. But he's not the future. The fact KC was looking for his replacement should not be lost. It still boggles my mind that we didn't hold onto Josh McCown for the same purpose, but the Browns do lots of strange things....
Thinking about Dorsey's "what I look for in a QB" lines and got me thinking about classic football guy Parcell's rules: 1. Must be a senior 2. Must be a graduate 3. Must be a three year starter 4. Must have at least 23 wins Doesn't seem like we use that one much any more with so many prospects leaving school early (Rosen will be 21, Darnold 20 on draft day if they declare). Does it still matter? If you run the 2017 crop through Parcell's requirements, only one meets the criteria. Deshaun Watson. How about 2016? Carson Wentz, Dak Prescott, Connor Cook, Cody Kessler, Kevin Hogan.
Josh McCown for the Jets is a season savior....Josh McCown for the Browns was a walking injury ready to happen.. His history suggests NY is more of an anomaly than the reason the Browns moved on from him.
Now, if you want to keep talking about Mayfield, I can get on board with taking him #1 overall...You lost me when you stated quite frankly, #1 overall...Rosen
I disagree. Before the season started, the Jets were actually ranked lower than us. How is JM more of an injury risk for us, than he is in NY? At least we wouldn't have been stuck with the Kizer shitshow every week...He only plays because we have nobody better. That wouldn't be the case if we had held onto McCown. He would have been the perfect bridge QB to help Kizer along IMO...
In fact, I'd say letting McCown walk was one of the worst decisions Sashi made during his tenure. There's obviously no denying that McCown had plenty left in the tank...Chalk it right up there with passing on Wentz, drafting Kessler, passing on Watson and drafting Kizer....Sashi doesn't seem to grasp the importance of having a capable QB under center, and that's why Sashi is now available...
