(Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
There were plenty of rumors and narratives around the Houston Texans and what they would do with the No. 2 pick.
Eventually, they did the right and logical thing and didn’t hesitate to take C.J. Stroud, and then traded up to No. 3 to get Will Anderson Jr.
However, it seems like there was a bit of a dirty campaign to try and get him to slip, as news leaked that he had the lowest score on the S2 cognitive test among all quarterbacks.
That’s why he made sure to fire back at his critics and point out that he’s a proven player at this point in his career and that the film has demonstrated that he’s got plenty of football smarts.
“A lot of people haven’t played the sport, and I mean critics are gonna critique,” Stroud told Peter King. “For me I know the film speaks for itself. Everything that I’ve done in college, I’ve been very consistent. I think I’ve been one of the most consistent players in college football for the last two years. If you turn on the tape, you can see, you can answer the questions.”
The test, which replaced the former Wonderlic test, “scientifically measures an athlete’s game-speed cognitive abilities down to a millisecond level,” according to CBS Sports.
This wouldn’t be the first time that news leaked at the right time to create a narrative around a prospect and have him fall in the draft.
CJ Stroud: “I’m not a test taker, I play football.”
“I know I’m one of the smartest quarterbacks in the NFL… I don’t think you can play at Ohio State and not be smart.”
(@scott_fowler)pic.twitter.com/2nku1QDbTh
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 26, 2023
Fortunately, that wasn’t the case, and Stroud got to the place where most people believe he should’ve always gone.
And if one were to judge by the tape, the stats, and the mechanics, there’s absolutely no reason to believe he doesn’t have more than enough arguments to become one of the next stars of the game.
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