CJ STROUD ADDRESSES MEDIA CONCERNING HIS VERIFIED LOW S2 TESTS

https://www.nfl.com/news/2023-nfl-draft-...e-qb-class

Stroud has overcome challenges, most notably the incarceration of his father on a prison sentence of over 30 years when Stroud was 13 years old. He’s guarded about certain aspects of his life and that has been reflected in pre-draft meetings with teams. However, several GMs, scouts and coaches said Stroud grew on them the more time they spent with him. And Stroud is more highly regarded in terms of his passing ability and his football IQ than some other recent Ohio State QB prospects.

“The questions are going to be transitioning from that offense, because guys have had trouble (adjusting) from what they ask them to do (at Ohio State) to what we ask them to do in terms of setting protections and all that,” an NFC executive said. “He’s always had really good protection and he’s basically been driving a Cadillac -- he’s got [Jaxon Smith-Njigba], he’s got three first-round receivers, he’s got two first-round tackles. When he’s got space and time to throw, he carves people up and he’s ridiculous. When things have gotten tight -- when Michigan has gotten pressure on him, when he’s seen new stuff from Northwestern that they weren’t prepared for and the game gets tight -- he hasn’t played as free. And in fairness to [Stroud], he hasn’t been in that situation very often because they’ve been so good.”

The Buckeyes lost just four of Stroud’s 25 starts, though two of those defeats came against rival Michigan. Stroud took the S2 Cognition test multiple times and posted low scores, but coaches who have watched the tape and put Stroud on the board were impressed with his processing ability. He has displayed toughness, starting all 12 games in 2021 despite separating the AC joint in his right (throwing) shoulder in the season opener. And as pure passers go, Stroud is one of the best in this class.