You've read anonymous speculation by now that quarterback Josh Rosen's teammates at UCLA didn't like him, he doesn't have a desire to be great and he might overplay his draft hand.

Here is the other side of the story from one of Rosen's earliest critics.

Trent Dilfer didn't start out as a fan of Rosen's -- quite the opposite, actually -- but he sees NFL media and fan bases making a similar mistake to one he made four years ago.

"I totally think Josh is misunderstood," Dilfer told NJ Advance Media in a 1-on-1 interview. "I think people are guilty of - as I was - putting him in a box because of one experience."

Dilfer coached Rosen at the Elite 11 competition -- the nation's premier event for high school quarterbacks -- when the latter was a five-star recruit in 2014. They butted heads, and Dilfer -- a then-analyst for ESPN and still one of the best quarterback experts around -- didn't hide it.

"We were both equal a--holes," Dilfer recalled for NJAM. "He didn't like to be coached, and I didn't like coaching guys who didn't want to be coached. It didn't go well. I liked him. I saw the genius in him. I saw the talent and the potential. I was just frustrated that he wasn't more receptive to it."

But the two stayed in touch -- they were together just last week -- and Dilfer gradually came to a different realization about Rosen: "He just is smarter than most people. He thinks at a different level."

As one of four quarterbacks near the top of draft boards, Rosen has been listed as high as the No. 2 pick to the Giants and as low as the No. 11 pick to the Dolphins in mock drafts during the last month. Some have him going No. 6 to the Jets.

"What he learned at UCLA was no matter how good you are, there is still a giant mountain of information out there to take in and be great," Dilfer said. "He wasn't ready to hear that yet (at Elite 11), whereas other kids aren't as successful and don't have the coaching at that stage, so they are like, 'Yeah, tell me anything.'"

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. just dropped Rosen to the fourth quarterback selected, pointing to this week as a potential turning point in the evaluation.

The polarizing Rosen intends to throw in front of scouts at the NFL Combine -- not all top passers make that choice -- but also will be in high demand for meetings. Each NFL club can conduct 60 private 15-minute prospect interviews at the Combine.

The Giants and Jets figure to seek out Rosen.

"I think Josh Rosen crushes New York," Dilfer said. "New York is sophistication. It's a lot of things, but it is very diverse. It's a lot of stimuli. That's what Josh Rosen thrives off of. He wants the energy, the stimulus, the pressure."

The consensus after a career with a 60.9 percent completion rate, 9,340 yards and 59 touchdowns to 26 interceptions is Rosen is the best pure passer available.

But questions linger about Rosen's durability -- he missed six games with a shoulder injury in 2016 and had two concussions in 2017 -- and maturity. Dilfer isn't a doctor, but he has been a Super Bowl-winning quarterback and a coach.

"You can't be lazy if you are coaching Josh Rosen because he is going to expect something good every day," Dilfer said. "He wants the answers. He wants to be great. (Packers quarterback) Aaron Rodgers is very similar: He demands that you coach him uniquely every day."

Rosen already has been outspoken about President Donald Trump and the NCAA's student-athlete model. What will happen when he has all the microphones in the greater New York area in front of him?

It's the kind of thing the Giants never have worried about during Eli Manning's 14-year career.

"Don't get me wrong: Is Josh going to put his foot in his mouth a couple times? Hell yeah, and he'll be the first to tell you he probably will," Dilfer said. "But he's also going to let it go, move on, use humor, and maybe have to show some contrition at time. It's a journey."

The Giants just hired two quarterback gurus in head coach Pat Shurmur and offensive coordinator Mike Shula. Between them, they have coached four Pro Bowlers, two Rookies of the Year and a Most Valuable Player.

"Josh challenges the common narratives because he wants to wrestle with them," Dilfer said. "I'm a better coach because I learned I couldn't come with weak stuff. You can't just recycle old news because it works with some people. You have to constantly stimulate his mind."

Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.

