Josh Rosen isn’t happy about being picked 10th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, and the former UCLA quarterback’s logic is simple.
“There were nine mistakes ahead of me,” Rosen said Thursday night, per ESPN.com.
Rosen was the fourth quarterback drafted in the first round, with Baker Mayfield (No. 1), Sam Darnold (No. 3) and Josh Allen (No. 7) being selected before the Arizona Cardinals finally called Rosen’s name at No. 10 following a trade with the Oakland Raiders. The whole thing is absurd in Rosen’s mind, as the 21-year-old believes he should have been taken much sooner.
“I thought I should’ve been picked at 1, 2 or 3,” Rosen said, according to ESPN.com. “I dropped, and I was pissed. I was really, really angry. I wasn’t really showing it. I was trying to keep calm, cool, composed. But I thought I was going to get picked, and I thought I was going to have to put on a face and try and fake happiness. But for some reason, right when I got that call, that’s not what happened. I got really happy and really motivated.
“All I wanted to do was basically get on a plane right then and go straight to Arizona and start working. It was definitely a surprise when I got that phone call in terms of the emotions I was feeling. But I think everything happens for a reason.”
Rosen is unsure why he wasn’t drafted earlier, but he insisted Thursday night he’s already moved on, with an eye toward helping the Cardinals for the foreseeable future.
The Cardinals also have veteran quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon on their roster, so it’s unlikely Rosen will start right out of the gate. But he’s prepared to learn, starting on Day 1.
“I’m not going to come in and be an A-hole and think that my (crap) don’t stink. Sorry to say that,” Rosen said. “I understand the situation. I’m going to come in, and I’m going to be respectful. Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon are both two amazing quarterbacks.
“But we’re all professionals, and we’re going to compete our butts off. Regardless of who the starter is, we’re all going to support that person.”
It’s safe to say the chip on Rosen’s shoulder just got a little bigger.
