CJ Stroud stands up for himself amid latest NFL Draft shift

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud defended himself in regard to criticism about his ability to process football ahead of the NFL Draft.

The 2023 NFL Draft has finally arrived, and fans and media will finally get answers in regard to where the top prospects in the class will end up. It all begins with the first-overall pick, held by the Carolina Panthers.

At one point in the pre-draft process, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud was in contention to be the pick. But, as is the case with every top prospect in the NFL Draft, their stock fluctuates, and that appears to be the case with Stroud.

Although he played at a high level for the Buckeyes, his S2 cognition test scores were allegedly leaked, claiming he scored 18 out of 100. The founder of S2 Brandon Ally said that two of the scores that leaked were “not accurate.”

A day prior to the first day of the NFL Draft, Stroud addressed doubts about his ability to process, saying that he’s a football player, “not a test taker,” and that those teams that evaluated him know what he can do.

C.J. Stroud defends himself as NFL Draft stock changes

“I’m not a test taker,” Stroud said, h/t Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer. “I play football. … At the end of the day, man, I don’t got nothing to prove to nobody. I’m not going to sit here and explain how I process football. The people who are making the picks know what I can do.”

Stroud is confident in his ability to play. After all, he may have the best arm talent in the class, especially in terms of accuracy. Not to mention that he silenced any doubt of him playing against big time schools, as evidenced by his performance in the Peach Bowl against the Georgia Bulldogs, where he completed 23-of-34 pass attempts for 348 yards and four touchdowns.

This past season, Stroud threw for 3,688 yards, 41 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 66.3-percent of his passes. In his three years at Ohio State, Stroud threw for 8,123 yards, 85 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on a 69.3 completion percentage.

As for where Stroud will land, that remains to be seen. There was buzz entering the first day of the NFL Draft that the Tennessee Titans are looking to trade up to the No. 3 overall pick to select Stroud.

What is known, is that Stroud will be a first-round pick in 2023.