What happened to Former UCLA Star Josh Rosen?

Josh Rosen was a star for the UCLA Bruins. What happened with his NFL career?

Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks, general manager Steve Keim and team president Michael Bidwill (right) introduces their first-round draft pick, UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen on Apr. 27, 2018 at the Arizona Cardinals Training Facility in Tempe, Ariz. (Via OlyDrop) XXX RS_48287.JPG USA AZ Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks, general manager Steve Keim and team president Michael Bidwill (right) introduces their first-round draft pick, UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen on Apr. 27, 2018 at / Rob Schumacher/The Republic

Josh Rosen's journey from highly ranked recruit to UCLA star quarterback to journeyman in the NFL, his path has shown the harsh realities of professional football. He showed incredible promise and potential, and with high expectations to be a good NFL quarterback, what went wrong for Josh Rosen?

In 2015, the California native came out of the legendary St. John Bosco High School as a five-star recruit and the 11th-best player in the country per 247 Sports. The 6-foot-4 quarterback committed to the UCLA Bruins and lived up to the hype.

Rosen had an incredible college career at UCLA and showcased all the tools to be elite at the next level. Over three seasons, he threw for 9,340 passing yards and 59 touchdowns and was given the nickname of "Chosen Rosen." One of his most iconic moments came when he led the Bruins to a 34-point comeback victory over Texas A&M, one of the greatest comebacks in college football history.

His fake spike to win the game immediately made him a UCLA legend and fan favorite.

Rosen's poise, strong arm, and accuracy as a quarterback made him a top prospect in the NFL Draft. In the 2018 draft, he was selected 10th overall by the Arizona Cardinals. Rosen famously said, "There were nine mistakes ahead of me," which is a quote that unfortunately followed him forever.

He was viewed by Arizona as the center of its rebuild and was supposed to be the future of the franchise under head coach Steve Wilks. However, reality quickly set in. Behind a weak offensive line, Rosen and the Cardinals had an extremely difficult season. They went 3-13, and Rosen threw 2,278 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.

After the season, Wilks was fired, and in a shocking move in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Cardinals took quarterback Kyler Murray with the first overall pick. This basically ended Rosen's time in Arizona. He was traded to the Dolphins, where he never really got a chance to play, and then he bounced around a few NFL teams, never finding a stable home.

Currently, he is out of the NFL. So what went wrong?

First of all, Rosen was thrown into the fire too quickly, with no time to develop. We see this time and time again, rookie quarterbacks who aren't given time to adjust and learn the NFL game really struggle. Bryce Young, Zach Wilson, and even Caleb Williams at times last year all had a hard time, to name a few guys who faced similar situations.

On top of that, these top picks usually go to bad teams with very limited support. It is unreasonable to expect a young kid to completely take over the reins of a poor NFL team. Young had no support in Carolina, neither did Wilson with the Jets, and the same goes for Williams last year with the Bears.

If Rosen had been given time to develop, he may have been a much better player in the NFL. From the outside looking in, Rosen is not a bust, but the result of a failed system. The Cardinals threw him into a difficult situation, gave up on him so fast, and ruined his confidence.

The story of Josh Rosen is sad, disappointing, and confusing. His story should be a lesson to NFL teams, as well as young players coming out of college. The NFL is glamorous, but it also brings incredibly harsh realities.

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