NFL Mock Draft: Where CJ Stroud would've been selected in the 2024 class

Living in the land of make-believe is way more fun than living in the real world, which is why the line to ride Trolie would have an 8-hour wait if it was a real-life ride. There is nothing more fun than pretending, especially in the world of sports. I call it playing the "if game". If Wilt Chamberlain played today, or if Peyton Manning played for Belichick.

Today, in the what if game, we are going to speculate about Texans rookie quarterback CJ Stroud. What if he were still in college, and entering the 2024 draft, and what if we didn't know how good an NFL quarterback he would be? Where would he be drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft?

CJ Stroud's 2023 College Season

To play the game correctly, there are certain variables that need to be outlined. The first is determining how good a season Stroud would have at Ohio State in 2023. There are a couple of ways to do this, and we are going to take the easy way out. Rather than make up a pretend season, guessing at how he would have played if he had stayed in college, we will move his college career up a year. So his 2023 stats will be his 2022 stats, 2022 will be 2021, and so on.

Stroud's 3,688 yards passing would rank would be the ninth most of any college quarterback in 2023. He would rank ahead of Caleb Williams but behind Bo Nix, Michael Penix, and Jayden Daniels. His 41 touchdowns would rank second, behind just Nix. The real question would be, with CJ Stroud at quarterback, would the Buckeyes be able to beat Michigan, and keep Jim Harbaugh from winning the National Championship? They weren't able to in 2022, so we will say they wouldn't in 2023 either.

The Pre-Draft Process

After the season is over, Stroud will have to show up at the combine and show what he can do physically. He would also get to showcase his abilities during Ohio State's pro day. What the scouts would see is his arm strength, his mobility and footwork, and his straight-line speed. The only quarterback in the 2024 draft who can compete in those areas with Stroud is LSU's Jayden Daniels.

What shows up on film between the two, though, is that Daniels struggles on short and intermediate routes, and Stroud is deadly accurate on those throws. Stroud does still go through his progressions slowly, but at least he goes through them. Daniels is making one read on every play. He's raw, and exciting, but is a project player, while Stroud is a more finished product.

Where Would CJ Stroud Be Picked?

After watching the film of Stroud at Ohio State and comparing it to the other quarterbacks in the 2024 class, only Caleb Williams from USC scores better. He followed his Heisman season by completing 69% of his passes for 3,633 yards and 30 touchdowns. In the last two seasons, Williams has shown to be the most NFL-ready quarterback since Trevor Lawrence.

With the Chicago Bears on the clock, the name handed to the podium would be Williams as the league's first pick. With the second pick, the Washington Commanders would take CJ Stroud. The Patriots would then have their pick of Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels.

Even an extra year of college could not move the needle on Stroud's draft position. Whether he was picked in 2022 or 2023, he was always destined to be the second pick overall.