With the NFL draft looming, C.J. Stroud has come under fire, seemingly out of left field. As recently as late March at Ohio State’s pro day, all signs pointed to Stroud going No. 1 overall to the Carolina Panthers, or, at worst, no further than No. 2. Now it seems the former Buckeye signal-caller is plummeting on draft boards.
It begs the question, what changed in such a short amount of time? Poor test scores? Rumors of being hard to coach? It’s anyone’s guess, but one former NFL star believes there is something else at play. Current Colorado Buffaloes head coach, Deion Sanders, thinks it’s due to poor showings from former OSU quarterbacks in the NFL. And he doesn’t think it’s a fair criticism.
Sanders joined the Pat McAfee show on Wednesday and was asked by the host who he thought should be the first QB taken. Without hesitation, Sanders went with Alabama‘s Bryce Young stating he didn’t care about his size and that he’s a proven winner.
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Sanders was then pressed about who was No. 2 in his mind. With confidence, the NFL Hall of Famer said, “The kid from Ohio State,” and went on to explain why he thinks Stroud is getting heat.
“He’s getting criticized and blamed for the lack of success for the former Ohio State quarterbacks,” Sanders said. “That has nothing to do with this kid. But let’s do a long list right now in your mind of the former Ohio State quarterbacks, and that list ain’t pretty of how they’ve fared in the NFL.”
You can listen to the full segment below via The Pat McAfee Show’sTwitter page.
"CJ Stroud is getting blamed for the lack of success that other Ohio State QBs have had in the NFL" ~ @DeionSanders #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/ukokLVojNb
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 26, 2023
Let’s be honest here. Even the so-called experts have no idea what they are talking about. It’s all a guess. For every Joe Burrow, there is a JaMarcus Russell. For every Peyton Manning, there are those who feel Ryan Leaf is the better quarterback.
Bottom line, the NFL draft is a crapshoot. All of these kids have the ability to play at the next level, but nobody knows how they will respond to adversity. Nobody knows how they will respond to becoming instant millionaires. Nobody knows if they’ll continue to grind or if they’ll become complacent in their craft.
I’m hopeful C.J. Stroud will get an honest look based on what he’s done, not based on what others haven’t. Forget the test scores. Forget how previous OSU quarterbacks have fared in the NFL. If you’re an NFL GM, watch the tape and don’t overthink it.
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