Todd McShay NFL mock draft 2018: Josh Rosen to Giants

It is absurdly early for mock drafts.

But as we get through the final quarter of the NFL season and more teams are mathematically eliminated from play-off contention and college players declare for the draft, they’re unavoidable.

We try to avoid the flood of mock drafts during draft season, but also take note of the “big” media mocks — the idea being that they have more contacts throughout the league and could give us better insight.

So with that in mind, lets see who ESPN’s Todd McShay picks for the New York Giants at second overall.

2. New York Giants - Josh Rosen (QB, UCLA)

This is another team with a lot of holes, but none is more glaring than at QB. Eli Manning will be 37 at the start of the next season, and the Giants' offense hasn't scored 30 points in a game since the 2015 season (30 straight games). Davis Webb hasn't been able to get on the field, and Geno Smith isn't the long-term answer at the position. Rosen outplayed Darnold in their recent matchup, and I came away impressed from watching him from the sideline. Rosen is the most NFL-ready QB in this class. The biggest challenge for him will be selling teams on his love/need for the game and his "coachability."

Raptor’s Thoughts: I know that I’ll catch flak for this, but I can’t say I’m thrilled with the pick.

I absolutely recognize that Rosen is the most polished passer in the draft. His mechanics, particularly in a clean pocket on mid-range throws are remarkably pure.

I do have questions about Rosen’s decision making and accuracy driving the ball downfield.

But as McShay notes, there are definite concerns about Rosen’s character and personality. There have been reports for a couple years that he is cocky and has had issues with teammates. We have also heard this year that he always considers himself the smartest man in the room, and isn’t shy about letting people know it — including his coaches. A long-time scout told our own Ed Valentine that Rosen is “the biggest ___hole in the world” and compared his personality to Ryan Leaf’s.

I have a policy of tuning out the noise with regards to prospects, but when similar concerns, or praise, are expressed from more than one trusted source, they have to be given some weight. It’s fair, I think, to have questions regarding how that will play in New York’s media fishbowl.

I also have questions about Rosen’s durability after he has missed time with several injuries over the last two years.

So despite his obvious ability, there are enough questions regarding Rosen that I can’t feel good about the pick right now.