ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick shares first impressions of CJ Stroud after Ohio State Pro Day

Louis Riddick, along with playing in the NFL and working as an analyst and commentator for ESPN, worked for more than a decade as a pro personnel staffer in multiple front offices. He knows the ins-and-outs of scouting and assessing players for the draft and his take on Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud after watching him at school’s pro day was simple.

“My vote? Pick him,” Riddick said on The Paul Finebaum show on Wednesday after Stroud’s throwing workout. What the Carolina Panthers — who were out in force at the pro day — do with the No. 1 overall pick is another story, though.

Either way, as Riddick sees things, the Panthers would be getting a near complete package.

“I think first and foremost what you saw was the leadership qualities of C.J., Stroud come out in this regard. He ran the workout himself. He didn’t have a quarterback coach. he didn’t have his coaches from Ohio State. He didn’t have a coach from one of the NFL teams directing this workout. He had it all organized. And it was a well-oiled machine right from the get go. He came out pushing the ball down the field immediately, even in the warmup portion of his workout,” Riddick said.

One hallmark of Stroud throughout his college career is his ability to throw to all levels and spaces of the field with pinpoint accuracy. It befuddles defenders and ingratiates him to receivers as he threw 85 touchdowns to just 12 interceptions in two seasons as a starter.

That innate touch and accuracy were on display on Wednesday, Riddick said.

“And he was pushing it down the field with tremendous accuracy — 25, 30, 45 air yards, putting it on the money on these go routes down the sideline. And then he dialed back and started really working through the route tree. The short, the intermediate, the long game. The straight drop backs, three-, five- and seven-step. The play-action passing game. The RPO-like passing game. Rolling out, pushing the ball down the field. Rolling left, rolling right, he did it all. Were there a few throws late in the workout that he would like to have back and maybe he missed one or two? Sure. But by and large he put the ball on the money, he threw the football with anticipation, he threw the football with velocity, he threw it with touch,” Riddick said.

After a similarly impressive performance in Indianapolis at the 2023 NFL Combine, and with a handful of interviews with the top teams the bulk of the remaining draft process, Stroud is getting near the bottom of the checklist for his offseason tasks.

At this point, Riddick doesn’t think Stroud has much more to show — not that he needs to show anything more to be worthy of the No. 1 overall pick.

“He basically showed you everything that he could possibly show you in a scripted workout in shorts. Now it’s just about what do you think of the young man as an individual, as a leader, what do you think of his tape that he has put on his resume here during his time at Ohio State?,” Riddick said. “And, mainly, and I think what we all want to know, is whether or not Carolina, given the time that they have spent with him here — and he went out to dinner with the entire Carolina contingent last night — how much do they feel he is worthy and ready to go ahead and lead this franchise for the next 10 to 15 years?”