Buckeyes' C.J. Stroud No Longer Projected No. 1 NFL Draft Pick?

The latest intel and rumors suggest that Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud may be falling down draft boards.

Is Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud falling down NFL Draft boards? 

Once thought of as the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft may no longer be, as recent mock drafts have Stroud no longer going to the Carolina Panthers. 

A new report from Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network stated that Alabama quarterback Bryce Young has canceled all of his remaining top-30 visits. "A sign to back up the belief he will be the Panthers' pick," Pelissero wrote. 

𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: Alabama QB Bryce Young has canceled the rest of his pre-draft visits and is likely going to be picked 1st overall to the #Panthers in the 2023 Draft

"A sign to back up the belief he will be the Panthers’ pick" - per @TomPelissero pic.twitter.com/x3Emh4546s

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 17, 2023

But that might not be all the bad news for Stroud, as other reports have stated that the Houston Texans, the owner of the No. 2, are even considering not taking a quarterback. 

The latest intel shared by Dane Brugler suggested that the Texans aren't sure that they'll be a quarterback on the board "worthy" of their pick. 

"I’m told there isn’t a unanimous belief among the Houston coaches that available quarterback will be worthy of this pick," Brugler wrote. "At this point, I’m still leaning Stroud — if not to Houston, then probably to another team that comes up for him. But my final mock next week might have Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr., Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson or a different quarterback here."

It is an interesting development, as since the Panthers traded up for the top pick in the draft, the rumors suggested that they were doing so in order to pick Stroud. Now it seems not only to have the Panthers turned their attention to Young, but even the Texans could be looking elsewhere.

So if Stroud does not go in the first two picks, where would the most likely destination be? 

The Indianapolis Colts and the Seattle Seahawks are possible teams, holding the No. 4 and No. 5 picks, respectively, while the Las Vegas Raiders at seven and the Atlanta Falcons at nine could also be in play. 

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