Jim Mora believes Josh Rosen could have gone No. 1 in 2016

UCLA coach Jim Mora feels his team's quarterback could have gone No. 1 in the 2016 NFL draft.

Josh Rosen, a freshman in 2015, wasn't eligible for the draft of course. But Mora said Friday on the Rich Eisen Show that Rosen had the tools to be the top pick.

"In my opinion, he was the best quarterback in the draft and he would have gone first," Mora said. "I know that is really a strong statement for a true freshman, but I've never – I shouldn't say never, I've been around Peyton [Manning] when he was that age – I can't remember ever seeing anyone at his age with the arm talent, the intelligence, the decision making, the drive, the passion and the ability that he has."

The No. 1 pick ended up being Cal's Jared Goff, another Pac-12 quarterback.

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Rosen was the top-ranked pro-style quarterback recruit in the class of 2015 and was UCLA's opening day starter. He threw for 3,669 yards and 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his debut season. And while Mora thinks he could have gone No. 1 after one season, Rosen still has two more seasons in Bruins colors thanks to the NFL draft's rules.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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