It’s officially “do you want to play for the Browns” season.
A day after UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen said he’d “rather be a lower pick at the right team than a higher one at the wrong team,” it was Southern California signal-caller Sam Darnold’s turn. The Browns, who are currently 0-15 and have locked up the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft, were probably a little happier with Darnold’s remarks.
“Whenever I come out to go to the NFL, I think I’d be honored to play for any team,” Darnold said Wednesday as the Trojans prepare to face Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, according to ESPN. “It’s been a dream of mine for such a long time to play in the NFL. Any team that would want to give me that opportunity to be a part of their organization, it would mean the world to me.”
Neither Rosen nor Darnold, considered the top two quarterback prospects in this draft, has declared he’s leaving college. ESPN reported that Rosen might skip the draft and return to play for Chip Kelly at UCLA next season if he knows the Browns would take him at No. 1.
The Giants are likely to end up with the No. 2 pick and could be in a prime position to take a quarterback.
There was a report earlier this season that Darnold had similar feelings to Rosen about Cleveland, but he denied it and backed up his denial Wednesday.
“[I] didn’t say anything about the Browns,” Darnold said. “I’ve never said anything bad about [an NFL] team.”