Rosenbach Will Bypass Regular Draft

Timm Rosenbach of Washington State, the nation’s leading passer last season, will pass up the NFL’s regular draft to take his chances on a supplemental draft in early summer.

Rosenbach’s agent, Gary Wichard, said today that he made the decision so that the fourth-year junior would be treated--and paid--like a No. 1 draft choice “rather than a guy taken sixth or seventh, depending on how things fall.”

Today is the deadline for players who still have eligibility remaining to declare themselves for the April 23 draft. If they do not, they are automatically excluded.

Rosenbach, who completed 67% of his passes and threw for 2,791 yards with 24 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions in 1988, is one of two prime junior quarterbacks who have decided to turn pro this year. The other, Miami’s Steve Walsh, also is expected to bypass the regular draft.

For Rosenbach, the beauty of the supplemental is clearly in the money--with UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman sure to be the No. 1 pick, Rosenbach’s value might be diminished by the NFL’s “slotting” system of salaries in which salaries go down with each pick.