BREAKING: Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud Drafted No. 2 Overall By Houston Texans

Former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud record-setting collegiate career helped him become the fourth signal-caller in program history to be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft in the common draft era.

Author:
Casey Smith
Apr 27, 2023 8:27 PM EDT

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Ohio State Buckeyes

Former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud was selected with the No. X overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Houston Texans on Thursday.

Stroud is the fourth-ever and third-straight Ohio State starting quarterback to be taken in the first round, as Dwayne Haskins was the No. 15 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and Justin Fields was taken with the No. 11 selection in 2021. Stroud becomes the highest-drafted Buckeye quarterback in the common draft era, overtaking Art Schlichter's honor, who was the No. 4 overall pick in 1982.

The Inland Empire, CA. native was the No. 29 player in the class of 2020, according to 247Sports, and after redshirting his true freshman year in which his only highlight was a 48-yard touchdown run against Michigan State on Dec. 5, 2020, he finally flashed his arm talent after Fields' departure.

In his first year leading the offense, Stroud threw for the second-most yards in a single season in Big Ten history with 4,435, trailing only Haskins' 4,831 yards in 2018. He capped it off with an otherworldly performance against Utah in Pasadena, CA. in which he threw for a program-record 573 yards and a Rose Bowl-record six touchdowns.

Despite his numbers regressing from year 1 to year 2 as a starter, he still led the Big Ten in passing yards, touchdowns and quarterback rating with 3,688, 41 and 177.7, respectively. He earned his second Big Ten Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year and Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year honors in as many years.

For the second year in a row, Stroud's final game on the ledger was his best, turning into Superman against Georgia in the Peach Bowl.

He completed 23 of his 34 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns, adding 34 yards on the ground on 12 attempts. Not only did his numbers flash, but his awareness and grit to try and will the Buckeyes to a win was ever-present, despite falling just short.

Reflecting on his career at the NFL Scouting Combine, Stroud said he regretted not running more in college, but then took the world by storm with what one scout called "one of the best combines I've seen from a quarterback."

The Rancho Cucamonga High School product earned a spot on the All-Combine Team and with one more opportunity to wow scouts, coaches and executives alike, Stroud again delivered.

One day after cheering on his friends at a softball game, Stroud turned in a solid Pro Day performance in front of 11 representatives from the Carolina Panthers, which held the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

It looked as if Stroud was a shoo-in to be the Panthers' pick, but then reports came out that Stroud was "challenging to coach," scored an 18 percent on the S2 Test — a cognitive exam that "measures how players process and make split-second decisions" — and "ghosted" the Manning Passing Academy.

This caused Stroud to slip in most mock drafts, but he had a message for those that doubted him Wednesday.

"If you don't trust and believe in me, all I can tell you is watch this," Stroud said.

Now, Stroud will have the opportunity to prove his doubters wrong and break the age-old adage that Ohio State quarterbacks can't succeed in the NFL — something that Fields appears to be proving wrong after two years in the league.