Three quarterbacks went in the top seven, and Josh Rosen wasn’t one of them. So yes, he was “pissed off.”
The UCLA quarterback also vows to make the Browns, Giants, Jets, Broncos, Colts, Bills, Bears and 49ers pay for not drafting him. (The Browns also had the fourth overall choice.)
“There were nine mistakes made ahead of me, and I’m going to make sure, over the next decade or so, that they know they made a mistake,” Rosen said, all but dropping the mic on his final answer of the night.
The Browns selected Baker Mayfield No. 1; Sam Darnold went to the Jets at No. 3; and the Bills took Josh Allen at No. 7. The Cardinals traded up to get Rosen at No. 10.
“I was pretty pissed off when I fell and one, two and three went by, and I was really angry teams were passing on me,” Rosen said. “I was honestly expecting to get picked at some point and have to fake a smile and pretend to be happy. But for some reason when I got picked all of that went away and it just went to straight to excitement and relief. The biggest thing was definitely motivation, and I feel determined. . . . I’m just more motivated than ever.”
Rosen did not expect to be the fourth quarterback selected, and he was asked why he thought so many quarterback-needy teams passed on him.
“I don’t know, and I don’t care,” Rosen said. “I’m happy it happened. I’m really happy it happened. I’m glad I’m at 10. I’m glad the Cardinals came up and got me. I really think it’s a match made in heaven. I wouldn’t [change anything]. You guys might call B.S. on me, but complete honest from the bottom of my heart, there’s not another team I’d rather go to.”
While the Cardinals were happy to get Rosen, the Cardinals’ beat writers were even happier. Rosen is a gold mine, already ranking as one of the best quotes in the league.