'I Play Football': C.J. Stroud Sends Draft Message About S2 Test Criticisms

With the Texans possibly set to pass on Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud at No. 2 overall, Stroud had a response for any potential doubters.

It was a commonly held belief for a large part of the offseason that the Houston Texans would be going quarterback with the second pick. When reports surfaced that Alabama's Bryce Young is all but guaranteed to go first overall to the Carolina Panthers the assumption was Ohio State's C.J. Stroud would be a Texan.

However, the Texans might not take a quarterback with the No. 2 pick after all if Young is off the board. Despite Stroud being seen by some as the clear-cut second-best quarterback in the draft, he might not go No. 2 overall. 

Among the various reasons that Stroud may slide even a tad down the draft board is  his 18 out of 100 score on the S2 Test, which "measures how players process and make split-second decisions." His alleged score was the lowest of any of the top-five quarterbacks and was labeled a "red flag" by an NFL executive.

How much stock should be placed in that test is, of course, subjective and will vary from team to team. Even though he potentially scored rather low, Stroud had strong words for those who doubt him as a quarterback. 

"I'm not a test taker, so I play football for me," Stroud said. "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."

CJ Stroud says he is a football player and “not a test taker” in reference to an S2 question. pic.twitter.com/G72Eaqtwgc

— Scott Fowler (@scott_fowler) April 26, 2023

There is a lot to like about Stroud as a prospect, S2 Test notwithstanding. In his two seasons starting at Ohio State he threw for 8,123 yards with 85 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions while completing 69.3 percent of his passes. Test or no test, Stroud is confident in his ability to be an NFL quarterback. 

"If I'm not the smartest quarterback in this draft, I know I'm one of the smartest quarterbacks in the NFL when I step in there tomorrow, so I have confidence in myself," Stroud said. "I don't think you can play at Ohio State and not be smart."

"If you don't trust and believe in me, all I can tell you is watch this."

While we won't know who the Texans take at No. 2 overall, one thing is certain if they pass on Stroud - whoever does take the Ohio State product will be getting a player who's ready to show what he can do at the next level. 

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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