Top-rated QB prospects Darnold, Rosen sizzle in Pac-12 showdown

Nov 19, 2017 - 6:22 AM The only observers of USC's 28-23 win Saturday night over crosstown rival UCLA happier than Trojans fans were NFL scouts, who witnessed a back and forth battle between star quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen that lived up to its pregame hype and showcased why each projects as a top-five draft pick.

Darnold, the top-rated prospect regardless of position on NFLDraftScout.com's board, guided the favored Trojans to the win, completing 17 of 28 passes for 264 yards and rushing for a score. It was the fifth touchdown on the ground this season for the prototypically built 6-foot-3, 220-pound quarterback.

In both statistics and style, however, Rosen stole the spotlight, connecting on 32 of 52 passes for 421 yards, including a handful of highlight-reel-worthy tosses, and three touchdowns to keep the game close. His numbers would have been even better if not for several drops by UCLA receivers. Junior wideout Jordan Lasley was Rosen's favorite target, hauling in 10 passes for 204 yards and all three scores, but Rosen distributed the action to seven receivers on the night.

It didn't take Rosen long to start lighting the fireworks, staking UCLA to an early 7-0 lead by showing pinpoint accuracy to defeat tight coverage on three consecutive NFL-caliber throws -- a 46-yard deep post, a 15-yard deep out and an 11-yard laser on a back-shoulder fade for a touchdown.

Rosen's trademark lightning-quick release and willingness to attack all levels of the field were on display all night long. While listed at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds just like Darnold, Rosen's relatively lanky frame is a concern, but he showed toughness and resiliency in bouncing off a handful of sacks from the Trojans. Rosen was consistently forced to sidestep USC pass rushers and re-set his feet, showing rare ball placement even when hopping into the air to deliver throws.

While Rosen's throwing was UCLA's only real chance in this game, with the Bruins' run defense allowing an FBS-worst 302.3 yards per game this season, USC justifiably called upon star junior running back Ronald Jones II and not Darnold as its strategy.

The 6-0, 200-pounder, currently ranked fifth on NFLDraftScout.com's junior running back board, rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on a season-high 28 carries Saturday night.

Jones operated as USC's "Trojan horse" but when called upon, Darnold showed off the elusiveness, vision and grit that have scouts even more excited about his prospects at the next level.

With all due respect to Rosen, Darnold delivered some of the more eye-popping plays, escaping a collapsing pocket, keeping his eyes downfield and flicking a 15-yard finger-tip first down to wideout Tyler Vaughns on one first-quarter highlight. He pulled off a similar Houdini-like escape and strike to favorite receiver Deontay Burnett for a gain of 25 yards in the closing seconds of the second quarter.

While Darnold and Rosen provided plenty of highlights, the young passers also made enough mistakes to keep the critics in the media, if not those in the NFL, crowing.

Darnold's most egregious mistake was a second-quarter interception, thrown late into double coverage amid a collapsing pocket. The play, notably, came on fourth down. Darnold nearly turned the ball over on an earlier fourth-down attempt on the same drive but his fumble was overturned on review. Darnold also gave up a potential field-goal attempt just before the half by opting to run the ball, getting tackled short of the goal line with no way of stopping the clock.

Rosen also had a mistake intercepted. Facing a third-and-12 in UCLA's final possession of the second quarter, Rosen stared down his primary target and threw a late pass into double coverage that was picked off in the end zone by USC's defensive back Marvell Tell III. Rosen lost a fumble following a sack on UCLA's first drive of the third quarter but played well afterward, helping the Bruins outscore the Trojans 16-14 in the second half.

It goes without saying that scouts would prefer that Darnold and Rosen eliminate the unnecessary turnovers from their games. Just as obvious in this contest, however, were the rare traits that have earned Darnold and Rosen top spots on NFLDraftScout.com's early 2018 mock drafts.



--Rob Rang is a Senior Analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.