Getty Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud.
Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud was having a clean offseason heading into the draft. He looked good at the NFL Scouting Combine and at his Pro Day. There was even belief he’d be the No. 1 pick by the Carolina Panthers for some time. However, he’s fallen victim to some bad press in recent weeks that have nothing to do with character concerns.
Go Long’s Bob McGinn reported that Stroud scored 18% on the S2 cognitive test. That was significantly lower than the 98% that Alabama’s Bryce Young scored. Former quarterback and Fox Sports analyst Brady Quinn also reported that Stroud skipped out on going to the Manning Passing Academy when he had committed to show up.
This led NBC Sports’ Peter King to speculate that Stroud won’t even be a top-seven pick. King is one of the most respected reporters in the NFL and wouldn’t make a claim like that if he didn’t have sourcing to back it up. That said, not everybody is buying the report. The Las Vegas Raiders are among the teams that have been linked to Stroud. New Raiders wide receiver Phillip Dorsett responded to the rumor of the quarterback slipping and posted a video of somebody wearing a giant hat, which would indicate that Dorsett believes that the report isn’t true.
Will Stroud Slip?
While the recent criticisms of Stroud seem nitpicky, it’s looking like he may actually fall in the draft. The Houston Texans were originally expected to take him if Young went No. 1 but it’s now looking like they could select a defensive player with the No. 2 pick. That would make things interesting for the Raiders.
Stroud is a great fit with head coach Josh McDaniels but it previously didn’t look like Las Vegas would have a chance at drafting him. If the Texans decide to pass, the Raiders would likely have some inside knowledge. Texans general manager Nick Caserio was college buddies with McDaniels and Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler. If Las Vegas gets tipped that the Texans are indeed not drafting Stroud, they could start putting a package together to trade up to No. 3 with the Arizona Cardinals. While the Raiders have Jimmy Garoppolo, it still can’t be ruled out they’ll make a move for a quarterback.
Raiders Don’t Use S2 Cognition Test
Stroud’s poor performance on the S2 cognition test will be a red flag to many teams but it doesn’t sound like the Raiders will care much. Ziegler revealed that the team uses other tools to evaluate quarterbacks.
“Yeah, in terms of the S2 cognition test, we’re familiar with it,” Ziegler said during his April 21 media availability. “It’s not something that we currently utilize here. We use a lot of different, other available tools for evaluating quarterbacks and other positions, different psychological tests, things of that nature that we value.”
It’s possible that Stroud also performed poorly on tests the Raiders put him through but that hasn’t leaked out. Regardless, it sounds like the Raiders will not put much value into the quarterback’s S2 performance if they are interested. It’s also possible that all of this is an elaborate smokescreen for another team to swoop in and take Stroud.