New York Jets: Is it Josh Rosen or is it Sam Darnold?

If the New York Jets get the opportunity, should they select Josh Rosen or Sam Darnold?

The New York Jets sit at 4-6 as they head home to face the Carolina Panthers this Sunday. Against all odds, the Jets have found themselves in the heat of the NFL playoff chase. The defense is starting to come into its own and the offense has played well enough, at times, to win some games. The team has given us some good times that none of us were really expected when the season opened.

That being said, Gang Green has a very tough schedule going down the stretch. They face the Panthers, the Chiefs, the Broncos, the Patriots, the Saints and the Chargers. That’s a tough schedule for a top team, for a rebuilding team there may not be any wins in that group. Finishing the season 4-11 or 5-12 is not out of the realm of possibility. That will leave the Jets right in the thick of the chase for a quarterback.

In that scenario, the Jets will be sitting somewhere between 6-12 in the NFL draft. The Jets will have the option to move up into the top portion of the draft. Obviously this is null and void if they are infatuated with someone they can select in their original position. But should they choose to, there is potential to move up to the top of the draft.

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If Mike Maccagnan decides to make a move like that, and they get an opportunity to select one of the two “top” quarterbacks, who should they select? Should it be Josh Rosen or Sam Darnold?

Both potential young stars were on display last weekend when they faced off from the Coliseum. In a losing cause, Rosen went 26-40 for 319 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. The game marks the sixth time of the season that Rosen went over 300 yards passing.

In the win over UCLA, Sam Darnold went 17-28 for 264 yards and an interception, he added a touchdown on the ground.

For the year, Darnold is completing 63.3% of his passes, with 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Rosen has completed 62.1% of his passes, with 24 touchdowns and ten interceptions. For his career, Rosen has thrown 26 interceptions in 1,151 passes, while Darnold has been intercepted 21 times in 777 pass attempts.

So how does one decide which one to choose?

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We will talk more about this during the later weeks, but the way to make the choice is the eye test. In watching the both of them perform last week, Rosen is the clear choice right now. Why? His fundamentals are stronger than Darnold’s. It really isn’t close. When Darnold was faced with a pass rush, he would too often get “happy feet”. He would move around frantically instead of keeping solid footwork underneath him. That causes the off-balance throw that you can get away with in college but not the pros.

It’s not a bad thing that Darnold can move, he just needs to improve his footwork when doing it. Darnold, on the other hand, is a traditional pocket passer. His feet appear to be naturally better. He doesn’t seem to make throws without good positioning which will serve him well in the NFL immediately. If you don’t set for the strong throw, defensive backs in the NFL will make you pay. Rosen is ready for that, Darnold simply isn’t yet.

That’s my early take, what’s yours?

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