GOODS ON DISPLAY
Rosen shows off talented arm, but Giants have issues to weigh
INDIANAPOLIS — It does not take an expert, while watching Josh Rosen set up and throw, to determine he is a gifted passer.
It does, however, take real foresight to determine whether Rosen is a perfect fit for the Giants, who own the No. 2-overall pick in next month’s draft. One of, if not the most impressive and perhaps most unappreciated (outside of the Giants building) of Eli Manning’s attributes for the past 14 years is his remarkable, at times astonishing durability. Rosen comes out of UCLA with a few injury issues that cannot be discounted but also must be put in proper perspective.
It is interesting that earlier in the week, new Giants head coach Pat Shurmur, when asked if anything he learned from studying every Manning snap in 2017 troubled him, immediately pivoted to something he once spoke about with former NFL executive Bill Polian.
“He’s the guy who told me guys who get injured a lot continue to get injured a lot,’’ Shurmur said.
Now, then, it is unfair to characterize Rosen as a guy who gets injured a lot. But he has a medical history that is not unblemished. Shurmur, unsolicited, was eager to point out Manning has been invulnerable in his NFL career.
“Eli’s been durable,’’ Shurmur said. “I’ve been a lot of places where that can’t be said. That’s huge. A guy being available to play and a guy who is a really good player being out there all the time, that’s a huge thing. It’s very important.’’
Much has been made of Rosen’s slender physique and, indeed, he does look a bit gangly. Looks, though, can be deceiving. He is 6-foot-4 and weighed in at the NFL scouting combine at 226 pounds, heavier than all the quarterbacks in attendance other than the 6-5, 237-pound Josh Allen. It should be noted Rosen is only slightly taller than USC’s Sam Darnold (6-3 3/8) and 5 pounds heavier than Darnold (221 pounds) despite being leaner.
Rosen went under the knife in 2016 after his sophomore season was cut short when he landed awkwardly taking a big hit against Arizona State, resulting in a soft-tissue injury to his right (throwing) shoulder that required surgery to repair. Last season, Rosen suffered the first concussion of his career against Washington on Oct. 28, a game that also had Rosen scrambling out of trouble and bloodied from his finger and lip. Rosen was diagnosed with a second concussion Nov. 24 against California in the final game of the regular season, causing him to sit out UCLA’s Cactus Bowl loss to Kansas State.
Concussions are cumulative and how the Giants view Rosen’s health history could be the difference in ranking him ahead or behind Darnold.
One clear separating factor is what the two did while attending the NFL Scouting Combine. Rosen opted to throw, Darnold did not.
“I mean, ball is ball,’’ Rosen said. “That’s what we do is we throw the football, so coming in here, I thought, ‘Why not?’ ”
Darnold did not see it that way.
“Obviously I’m going to throw at my Pro Day [March 21] and I think that’s a good opportunity for teams to be able to look at how I can spin it,’’ Darnold said. “I’m going to be throwing to guys I’ve played with, so I think given all the information I had that was the best decision.’’
The Post was part of a small media group allowed to watch live the quarterbacks’ afternoon throwing session Saturday inside Lucas Oil Stadium. It is not exactly a newsflash that Rosen’s touch and accuracy are special, and he showed comfort with a seven-step drop — which he did in college more frequently than any of the other top quarterback prospects.
Rosen skipped his first pass, a slant, and missed on an out-cut throw, but otherwise he was as advertised. He put on a show with three 60-yard deep balls on the money, hitting instride Byron Pringle of Kansas State, Trey Quinn of SMU and Calvin Ridley of Alabama in rapid-fire succession. It was an impressive display that had David Carr, the former Giants backup quarterback now working for NFL Network, exclaiming, “Everything Josh does is easy … so fluid.’’
There were misfires when Rosen threw out-cuts to the right sideline, mainly because the receivers were sluggish with their cuts. It was telling that the sharpest completion went to Ridley, the top receiver prospect in this draft.
Rosen certainly did nothing to dissuade the Giants from taking him, if they go with a quarterback rather than Saquon Barkley, the uber-impressive Penn State running back, or guard Quenton Nelson of Notre Dame.
INDIANAPOLIS — Greg Senat always dreamed of participating in March Madness growing up in Elmont. It just did not look quite like this.
Senat is at the NFL Scouting Combine trying to impress teams and convince them he is worth drafting next month. The 6foot-6, 302-pounder went to Wagner to play basketball, which he did for four years there. But he also has played football for the past two years, and now the tackle is hoping to play in the NFL instead of the NBA.
He is viewed as a raw talent in this draft, someone who can develop into a good player with the right coaching. He had not played football since ninth grade when he approached the football coaches at Wagner before the 2016 season about joining the team. He initially thought he would play tight end, but instead learned how to play right tackle.
Senat said his basketball background helps him as a blocker.
“When you are blocking on the field, you’re basically just defensive sliding on people, staying in front of a defender,” he said. “I think playing basketball has helped me develop quick feet and that kind of conditioning and quick twitch that you need to play offensive line.”
NFL teams are intrigued by Senat’s potential, but also question his commitment to playing football full-time.
“Some of them may have questions about why I started so late or if I still have any basketball player left in me,” he said. “But I’m fully committed to this. I love the sport. I’m happy to be here, and I think I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”
On Friday, Senat went through the drills. He put up the fourthbest time in the three-cone drill among linemen and was 13th in the broad jump.
Senat went to the East-West Shrine Game in January, where he got to face stiffer competition than he saw at Wagner. He projects as a right tackle in the NFL, but said he believes he could play either side.
“I think they just see me as a tackle, someone who they have to put a little time into to teach me the game but who can play anywhere,” Senat said. “I would love to be a left tackle in the NFL. That’s the pinnacle there, and I think I can definitely do that.”
As for basketball, the fifth-year senior now just watches his former Wagner teammates. The Seahawks are 23-8 after Saturday’s NEC Tournament victory against Robert Morris and will play LIU Brooklyn in the final Tuesday.
“Shout-out to those guys,” Senat said. “Keep working and make it to the NCAA Tournament.”