Panthers QB Coach Once Compared C.J. Stroud to an NFL Star

Could this mean the rest of the Carolina staff falls in love with the Ohio State QB?

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud is going to be the first quarterback taken in the 2023 NFL Draft. Yes, ahead of Bryce Young. There are concerns with Young's size and after what Stroud did in the College Football Playoff against Georgia, it further cemented him as QB1 in my eyes.

Someone else that loves the potential of Stroud is new Carolina Panthers quarterbacks coach, Josh McCown. Roughly a month before being hired, McCown appeared on "Scheme", a show on Underdog Fantasy with Josh Norris and discussed his admiration for the Buckeye QB.

"It was a fun tape to watch because he made all kinds of plays. You see all the throws that you want to see. And you see him moving the football against the best. And I think you know when scouts get into the spring and they're doing their due diligence looking at CJ Stroud this tape is gonna is gonna be one that factors in to where they end up finally slotting him because I think you want to see guys play and make throws against pro corners and pro safeties and move against pro d-linemen and this is Georgia defense is loaded with those kind of players. So it's a great tape. It's really fun to watch. I'm really impressed with CJ Stroud and where he's headed. He's very well coached. And I think, you know, the future's bright for him."

What really stood out in the near 40-minute episode is when McCown detailed who Stroud reminds him of.

"We love to do comps especially when we project them in the draft and especially the draft gurus. And we want to go who does he project? When I'm communicating with somebody, who can I tell you that he is like? So it'll quickly get you in that mindset of where I think he is as a player. So physically, without doing the deep dive of you know who he is as a person and talking to his coaches and getting to know really CJ Stroud the whole way around. Physically, as I watch him, I think his skill set is very similar to Joe burrow. Okay, I think that would be the guy in the NFL and you know fellow, one time Buckeye that that I would look at and go okay, he moves. He's about the same size, same frame, same kind of arm talent, and moves the same way physically."

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