C.J. Stroud (QB-Ohio State)
Age: 21
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 218 LBS
24/7 Sports Composite: 0.9780 (4-Star)
Injury History: Right shoulder injury back in 2021
Accolades:
Second Team All-American (2022)
Third Team All-American (2021)
2x First Team All-Big Ten (2021, 2022)
Heisman Trophy Finalist (2021, 2022)
High School
C.J. Stroud played his high school ball at Rancho Cucamonga High School located in California. Stroud went on to throw 6,569 yards and 70 passing touchdowns with only 15 INT. In 2019, Stroud would go onto participating in the Elite 11 where he was the MVP of the competition. He also was selected to play in the 2020 All-American Bowl. After receiving multiple offers across the country, C.J. Stroud would choose to commit to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Freshman
Stroud spent his freshman season redshirting behind current Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields. His only action came when he scored a 48 yard rushing touchdown against Michigan State.
Redshirt Freshman
After Fields would head to the NFL, the keys to the offense were officially handed over to Stroud. Stroud would go on to have one of the most prolific passing seasons in Buckeyes history. Stroud completed 71.9% of his passes for 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns. Stroud would finish 4th in Heisman trophy voting and would be named as a member of the First Team All-Big Ten team. Stroud in his final game of his redshirt freshman season in the Rose Bowl would go on to have possibly the greatest game from a Buckeye quarterback in school history. His 573 passing yards and 6 passing TDs are both school records.
Redshirt Sophomore
Despite losing two of his top receivers in Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave to the NFL Draft, Stroud would follow up his incredible redshirt freshman year with another incredible year. Stroud completed 66.3% of his passes for 3,688 passing yards and 41 touchdowns. He would again find himself in the running for the Heisman trophy but this time would finish 3rd in voting. He also once again would be named as a member of the First Team All-Big Ten team.
Career
Although Stroud couldn’t quite get the Buckeyes a national championship, he still was extremely successful during his tenure. He would finish with the second most career passing yards and the second most career touchdown passes in school history.
Strengths:
He is a phenomenal pocket passer. (69.3% career completion on 9.8 YPA) Stroud is very accurate on all levels of the field and mixes in some line drives with some beautiful touch passes. There are dimes littered all over his film.
Stroud and his receivers clearly have established great chemistry. He has a lot of great anticipatory throws that always have great timing. Knows where his receivers are going to be. Puts the ball in spots where his receivers have leverage.
His arm isn’t on the elite or high end side, but he has a strong arm and he’s able to make throws from the opposite hash.
Does a good job of manipulating the defense and then immediately hitting his intended receiver after looking off of him.
Weaknesses:
The Georgia game gave Stroud a chance to show he has some ability to create off-script, but he hadn’t done much of that prior to that game. Will need to show that more at the NFL level.
Is inconsistent when it comes to pressure. There are times where he puts himself in bad situations with how he scrambles. Has the tendency to put the ball in harm's way when on the move with the pressure coming to him.
Would like to see more instances where he comes off his first read. Has the ability to, but sometimes locking his eyes on his first read costs him.
Want to see more instances where Stroud runs for first downs. He isn’t an elite athlete, but he has shown flashes of picking up yards on the ground.
OVERALL:
I like a lot of things with CJ Stroud’s game. His accuracy on all levels of the field and his ball placement on both touch passes and bullet passes are borderline elite. His arm is good, not great but still good enough to hit most passes on the field. I just think he doesn’t necessarily have the ceiling because he’s not a high level athlete and besides the Georgia game, hasn’t shown ability to create out of structure. If he goes to a team that has poor pass protection play from his offensive line, can he adapt to the quick pressure a NFL defense can generate on a quarterback.
I do think he presents a higher floor because of the good parts of his game I listed above. Luckily, there are some teams at the top of this draft that I do think would be good situations for Stroud to succeed in.
Carr’s Grading System (slightly tweaked it):
9.5-10: The Perfect Prospect. No holes in their game with the expectation they become the best player at their position. Future HOF lock.
9.0-9.4: This player will be a top 5 player at their position in the future. Multiple all-pros in their future.
8.5-8.9: This player becomes a top 10 player at their position. Pro Bowls in their future.
8.0-8.4: Above average starter. First round talent. Top 11-15 player at their position.
(BOB) BOOM OR BUST
7.5-7.9: Average NFL player. Dependable starter, Top 16-24 player at position. Round 2-3 player
7.1-7.4: Below Average NFL player. Will be a rotational piece, a backup, or depth player. Top 25-32 player at position. Round 4 or later player.
6.5-7.0: Bust, undrafted player, practice squad or special teams player.
6.4 or lower: Stay Away at all costs
GRADE: 8.0 (Above average starter. Top 11-15 player at their position)
Player Comparison: Jared Goff/Mac Jones
Potential Fits: Colts, Raiders, Lions, Panthers
