CJ Stroud

Pos: Quarterback

School: Ohio State

Ht. 6’3″ 

Wt. 217

Games Watched: Penn State, Iowa, Michigan, Georgia

One Liner: Smart, well built QB who wins with accuracy, elite touch and plus football IQ

Strengths: 

  • Elite touch. Stroud throws the ball at all three levels with a nuanced feel and touch of receiver positioning and ball trajectory. He is experienced in this area and does it better than most QB’s coming out of college in recent memory
  • Very Good Ball Placement. Stroud does this a lot with good touch, but his placement is on point for the most part on all three levels
  • Good athleticism. Stroud didn’t show it off a lot, but in that Georgia game he made it clear that he can improvise and win outside of the pocket with his legs
  • Good football IQ. Stroud reads the field well and has a good feel for opposing defenses. He has an adept knowledge of safety movements and reading coverages.
  • Good arm talent. Stroud doesn’t have an elite cannon like Levis or Richardson, but he can make deep ball throws at an accurate level.

Weaknesses:

  • Adequate ability to move through progressions. Stroud sometimes locks in on one target and ends up forcing the ball, which has led to picks. 
  • Adequate feel for pressure. Stroud needs to develop his internal clock at the next level.  

Overall Assessment: C.J Stroud is my QB1 in this year’s draft. He has a good frame with good accuracy and work the ball into tight windows due to his elite touch and feel for throwing the football. Many knock Stroud for playing in a simple Ohio State scheme and lacking out of structure film, but Stroud is more than capable of improvising as he displayed at the highest level against Georgia. Stroud doesn’t have much trouble scanning and understanding coverages, and his placement is at the level where he can make NFL throws, so I am not as concerned about the scheme in college. 

Scheme Fit: Play action based scheme

Pick Projection: Top 5

Grade: 7.05