Wisdom from those who have come before us is one of the most invaluable things anyone can receive.
Former USC quarterback and 2004 Heisman trophy winner Matt Leinart had some NFL draft advice for current Trojan passer Sam Darnold.
“I don’t know if you want to go to the Browns,” Leinart told TMZ with a laugh.
USC got blown out by Ohio State last Friday in the Cotton Bowl by a score of 24-7. As Sam Darnold weighs his football future, his draft value has seemingly been on a downward trajectory all season, and his sub-par Cotton Bowl performance won’t ease the minds of NFL scouts.
Matt Leinart also said that there’s still a chance Darnold opts to hold off on the NFL, and returns to USC next season. Although Leinart is considered an NFL draft bust himself, that doesn’t mean the guy doesn’t have any credibility to offer advice — even if the advice he’s given seems like an absolute no-brainer.
“I don’t think he played as bad as people think,” Leinart said “He’ll be alright. We’ll see what he does. He may come back to school, who knows?!”
Since the Cleveland Browns re-entered the league in the 1999 expansion, they’ve started 27 different quarterbacks under center. That’s not exactly the environment of continuity that young quarterbacks benefit from. But, if Darnold does declare for the draft and is selected by Cleveland, it won’t take much to be considered the best Browns quarterback since Bernie Kosar.
The current Mount Rushmore of Cleveland Browns quarterbacks consists of: Kosar, Tim Couch, Derek Anderson, and Brian Hoyer.
I just got nauseous writing that.
Best of luck to Sam Darnold, or any other quarterback who the Browns may have their sights on.