Josh Rosen doesn’t care about the opinions of those who don’t know him. He’s here to light up the league. The NFL is a brutal league that demands a lot out of its players, many of which are out within their first three years of being a professional. However, each year brings new blood via the NFL draft.  We nitpick these kids to the point of knowing every person they’ve ever come in contact with. Quarterbacks, in particular, are people of interest who are the main proponents to building a franchise. In many cases it helps the process of getting to know the players entrusted to run the future of the franchise. In others though, it can be the classic case of overthinking.

In the case of Josh Rosen, the son of an orthopedic spine surgeon and journalist, he will have to combat the noise of those in the league who are timid with well-spoken players.

Rosen, a young man gifted beyond his years, is having to answer the age old scouts question in, “How much do you love football?” The slender Jewish kid from Bellflower, Calif. has spoken on various topics outside the realm of football, and that raised the eyebrows of many executives around the NFL. Despite his comments relating college athletics to indentured servitude and wearing a hat that had an explicit message for Donald Trump, he is still viewed by many as one of the two best quarterbacks available in this year’s upcoming draft.

Politics aside, much of the American sports landscape doesn’t take kindly to a college athlete speaking on topics outside the scope of their sport. The NFL’s mixed reviews on Rosen’s outspoken nature wreaks of the same undertone Laura Ingraham’s comments possessed in regards to athletes expressing opinions outside their given profession.

It would be great to point out that Rosen was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2015 as well as a member of the Freshman All-American team. He orchestrated an historic 34-point comeback against Texas A&M this past year after taking a beating for the first two and half quarters of the game, throwing a winning touchdown pass with less than a minute to play. Let’s just throw on top that he was a named to the All-Pac-12 2nd team. Sorry. I wouldn’t want facts to get in the way. So why do we shun a young man who’s clearly showed he can perform in his said sport at a high level?

Mike Mayock of the NFL Network said, “He’s the most gifted thrower of the football I’ve seen come out in several years,” and yet we can’t get past the couple of quotes that are representative of a young man who hopes for the betterment of society as a whole. I’ve had him as my No. 1 quarterback in this draft for quite some time. His physical gifts and his intellect make him a can’t-miss prospect. I hope the NFL front offices can see the same.