Photo by Joshua Bickel-Columbus Dispatch

Height	Weight	Arm Length	Hand Size
6'3"	214 lbs.	32 5/8"	10"

40 Yard Dash	Bench Press	Vertical Jump	Broad Jump	3-Cone Drill	20 Yard Shuttle
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Games	Completions	Attempts	Cmp %	Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions	Rush Yards	Rush Touchdowns
26	575	830	69.3	8123	85	12	136	1

Pros

• Great size at the quarterback position to take punishment and limit injury.

• Knows how to maneuver in the pocket to avoid tackles and make throws. 

• Very good when having to improvise on the run and make throws which has often lead to big plays.

• Athletic for the position but doesn't rely on his legs to make plays often. 

• Big arm that can hit people deep with ease and has shown exceptional ability to hit receivers in stride.

• Has a very nice catchable ball when making passes that has great touch for easy receptions. 

• Knows how to hold the safety in place to make easy throws. 

• He was one botched field goal by his kicker away from playing in the National title game after playing one of the best games of his life against the National champion Georgia Bulldogs. 

• Picked apart Georgia in a way nobody has been able to do for the past three seasons. 

• Ohio State had a poor defense in 2022 that often required Stroud to put on a passing clinic to keep the team afloat in games. 

• Pocket presence is easily the best in the draft and seems more than comfortable with standing in and surgically dismantling defenses. 

• Throwing mechanics are very good from the pocket and seems take command of the offense very well.

​

• Highly competitive player that brings his best game against elite opponents.

Cons

• Ohio State is easily one of the best receiver producing college football programs in sports and many of the quarterbacks that have come from the program have relatively inflated numbers because of it. 

​

• Had an immensely talented offense around him both on the offensive line and backfield and rarely found himself in games that his team wasn't dominating. 

• Awkward throwing motion on the run that can be hit or miss in terms of accuracy. 

• A lot of plays appear to be scripted by the offensive coordinator with little deviation from Stroud. 

• Rarely has needed to thread the needle in college due to the elite receivers for his team getting a minimum of 5 yards away from whomever is covering them.

• Can play up and down to competition at times (Northwestern and Rutgers)

• Had trouble with weather conditions in Northwestern which be an issue for games against teams in the northern states.

 

Overview

C.J. Stroud is the best quarterback in this draft class and should be the #1 overall pick in 2023. His cons aren't necessarily bad but they leave a bit mystery as to who was making the Buckeye engine run the last two years, Stroud's talent or his elite receiving corps. His performances against some of the best teams in college football were elite with plenty of games where he simply picked defenses apart like surgeon but if introduced to poor weather conditions like rain or snow he has shown to struggle with making accurate passes. His performance against Georgia is likely the C.J. Stroud are hoping to get as the Bulldogs are now the top dog in college football and if he gets put into the right situation come draft day as teams are likely to be trading up to the #1 overall pick, he could hit the ground blazing in the NFL. He has all the tools and intangibles to succeed in the NFL and I wouldn't be surprised to see him make the NFL playoffs with the situation.