Stanford coach says go Darnold over Rosen

ARLINGTON, Texas — David Shaw didn’t hesitate. He didn’t second-guess himself. Or ride both sides of the fence.

If it was up to the Stanford coach to make the decision between the two quarterback prospects from rival Pac-12 schools, Shaw has a distinct favorite.

“If I was drafting a player, I would take Sam Darnold,” Shaw said Wednesday at AT&T Stadium, where he was working as part of the NFL Network crew. “The combination of [Rosen’s] injury issues, but then Sam’s athleticism and his ability to hurt defense with his legs, that’s the X-factor. That mobility is a huge X-factor.”

Shaw, however, made sure to say he could be convinced by his draft room to move to Rosen, who suffered two concussions last year and had a shoulder problem that cost him six games the previous season, if there was a consensus. He’s that high on both players who are expected to be taken high in Thursday night’s draft.

“I think both guys have potential to be Pro Bowl quarterbacks, and even have Hall of Fame [potential],” said Shaw, who helped groom three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Andrew Luck at Stanford and was an assistant coach in the NFL from 1997-2006.

Shaw’s Stanford’s teams tried to force Rosen out of the pocket, while they attempted to keep Darnold in it. In two years, Stanford went 1-2 against Darnold, though he only played sparingly in the lone loss in 2016, the final game before he took over full-time as the USC quarterback. This past season, Darnold torched the Cardinal, throwing for 641 yards on 38-of-50 passing and six touchdowns in two wins. Rosen, meanwhile, was winless in three games against Stanford, though he did throw for 480 yards and three scores in a 58-34 loss this past season.

“Three times a game he makes the ‘wow’ throw, and it looks easy for him,” Shaw said of Rosen. “He splits defenders with the ball, he throws the ball over a [defensive back’s] head, he laces the ball in the back corner of the end zone. The throws other guys wouldn’t even attempt, he makes them and he makes them look easy. Sam will throw one time from the pocket and kill you, and he’ll get outside of the pocket, and makes huge plays with his legs and his arms.”

“His athleticism and his health to me,” the Stanford coach added, “would give him a slight edge over Josh.”