Seahawks Slippage: Could C.J. Stroud's 'Red Alert' Cause a Fall to No. 5?

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud has suddenly become a potential candidate for the Seattle Seahawks near the top of the order after weeks of projections had generally said otherwise, though it's not due to a surprising boost in draft stock.

Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider said Wednesday that they have presented owner Jody Allen with around "12 different things that can happen" when the team selects at No. 5 overall in Thursday's draft.

"Sometimes when I tell her the different scenarios, I think she looks at me like I'm crazy," Schneider said.

With how invested Schneider, coach Pete Carroll and the rest of the staff have been in spending time with the draft's top quarterbacks, one of these scenarios has to include what the Seahawks will do if one they want slips to them at No. 5.

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud has suddenly become a potential candidate for Seattle near the top of the order after weeks of projections had generally said otherwise, though it's not due to a surprising boost in draft stock.

Scores from the newly-chosen quarterback testing method, the S2 test, have painted Stroud in a poor light out of nowhere. He reportedly scored an 18, which was dead last among quarterbacks in the class. For comparison, Alabama's Bryce Young reportedly scored a 98.

“Stroud scored 18,” an executive said, per GoLong.com. “That is like red alert, red alert, you can’t take a guy like that. That is why I have Stroud as a bust. That in conjunction with the fact, name one Ohio State quarterback that’s ever done it in the league.”

Former NFL quarterback and current analyst Brady Quinn also recently revealed that Stroud apparently skipped out on the prestigious Manning Passing Academy the night before the event and "ghosted" them, which has brought up conversations questioning his attitude.

"That’s football royalty, and when you do that it’s going to set off some alarms for people like, ‘Hey man, that’s not how you conduct yourself, especially around the Manning family or just in general for you to be a franchise quarterback," Quinn said.

Once regarded as the potential No. 1 overall pick, Stroud has fallen to as far as No. 11 to the Tennessee Titans in a recent mock draft from CBS Sports. This seems a bit unheard of considering his projections for the past few months.

Whether true or not, reports negatively depicting a player that get released close to the draft have been known to scare front offices away from top talent. We saw it in 1995 when NFL legend Warren Sapp slipped to No. 12 after multiple failed drug tests were released right before draft night. It remains unclear whether that one was true.

Of course, current Houston Texans offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil saw his draft stock plummet in 2016 after an Instagram video showed him smoking from a bong that caused him to slide to No. 13 after other o-lineman went off the board. There was no denying that one, though he's shined in his career despite it.

But though his situation is different for many reasons, Stroud could be the latest victim, and the Seahawks a potential beneficiary.

The Carolina Panthers are likely to pick a signal-caller at No. 1, with Young being the current favorite. Additionally, it's no longer a guarantee that the Houston Texans will select a quarterback at No. 2.

The Arizona Cardinals could trade down or go with a defensive star at No. 3. But when the Indianapolis Colts pick at No. 4, they could potentially hinder Seattle from getting Stroud, though Anthony Richardson or Will Levis could also be options.

With these latest developments, the Seahawks and Schneider are left with more scenarios to prepare for. Allen's "suspicions" of craziness from her GM could prove to be true with the stress the hair-pulling ordeal might bring.

Either way, whether they pass on Stroud or not, the Seahawks don't seem likely to squander this "rare opportunity," as Carroll would call it.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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