Buckeyes Now

Buckeyes QB C.J. Stroud Back In Line For Houston Texans At No. 2?

The Houston Texans could elect to add the Ohio State passer with the No. 2 pick the draft after all.

Cole Thompson

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C.J. Stroud might end up as the next Houston Texans' next quarterback after all.

According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, Houston is "torn" on whether to draft a quarterback or edge rusher with the No. 2 pick. The expectation is the three prospects the Texans are "torn" between are Stroud, Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. and Texas Tech defensive end Tyree Wilson.

Houston needs a franchise quarterback following a 3-13-1 season under second-year quarterback Davis Mills. With new head coach DeMeco Ryans leading the charge, conversations have pivoted toward the defensive side of the ball after it was rumored that Alabama quarterback Bryce Young was the betting favorite to be selected by the Carolina Panthers at No. 1.

From a production standpoint, Stroud arguably is the top passer in the class. A two-year starter, Stroud threw for 8,123 yards and 81 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. He was a two-time Heisman finalist and won Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year after leading the Buckeyes to a College Football Playoff appearance last season.

Speculation began that Stroud could move down draft boards following the S2 Cognition test. Bob McGinn, a former Green Bay Packers beat writer for the Green Bay Press-Gazette and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, reported the former Ohio State quarterback scored in the 18th percentile.

“I'm not a test taker. I play football," Stroud told reporters Wednesday prior to the draft. "At the end of the day, I don’t have nothing to prove to nobody. I’m not (going to) sit here and explain how I process football. The people who are making the picks know what I can do, so that’s all that matters to me.

During an interview with ESPN's College Gameday, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said he had a Zoom call with the officials that ran the S2 Cognition test hours, asking for more information on Stroud's score. Day, who enters his fifth season with the program, said several of the scores were inaccurate.

“There's 10 scores that actually get evaluated during the testing process and you don't know what those scores mean," Day said. "They're all evaluating different things. To just kind of take a number that got leaked and make an evaluation of somebody is a little irresponsible.”

Stroud is expected to hear his name called at some point during the top 10 on Thursday night. The Texans, who also hold the No. 12 pick, could try to move up should the Ohio State passer fall into the proper range. 

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Cole Thompson
COLE THOMPSON

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