Mel Kiper Jr. evaluates CJ Stroud, weighs him against Bryce Young

ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. doesn’t think CJ Stroud will be on the board for long in the 2023 NFL Draft. In a mock draft special on SportsCenter on Tuesday, Kiper predicted that the Indianapolis Colts will trade up to take the Ohio State quarterback with the No. 2 pick.

Kiper has Alabama quarterback Bryce Young going No. 1 overall, predicting the Texans to also trade up to take him. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean he sees a big difference in the two quarterbacks. Kiper explained that he believes Stroud has a slight advantage over Young in a couple of categories, saying the QB’s performance against Georgia in the College Football Playoff left him extremely impressed.

“You can’t sit at four and just wait it out,” Kiper said. “In this case, you’ve gotta get your guy. In this case gonna be QB2. Maybe if Houston doesn’t take your guy, you get QB1. Bottom line is CJ Stroud can make all the throws at every level accurately. His touchdown-to-interception ratio is a little bit better than Bryce Young’s. His career completion percentage is a little bit better than Bryce Young’s.

“He showed he can beat a defense — Georgia, the national champion — with his legs. In 12 games, though, he didn’t do anything with his legs. So if he can take that Georgia game, bottle it and take it into the NFL. You talk about the mechanics, arm strength and accuracy at all levels. Talk about when things break down, he folded like a tent in some games. He didn’t against Georgia. Is that game an outlier or something that can carry over into his career in the National Football League?”

Stroud had one of his best performances of the season in the CFP semifinal against the Bulldogs, finishing 23-of-34 passing for 348 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He also added 34 yards rushing. Unfortunately, the Buckeyes fell just short as they missed a potential game-winning field goal to lose 42-41.

Stroud recorded 8,123 yards passing, 85 touchdowns and 12 interceptions over the past two years as a starter. That is compared to 8,200 yards, 79 touchdowns and 12 interceptions from Young. CJ Stroud’s completion percentage was 69.3% while Bryce Young’s is 65.8%.

Height has been a major topic of discussion when it comes to Young, and ESPN analyst Tim Hasselbeck believes it could be the difference with the two quarterbacks being so close. While Bryce Young stands under six feet tall, CJ Stroud was listed as 6-foot-3 according to Ohio State’s website.

“When you talk about moving to one to get the quarterback that you want, I’m not so sure — especially after you come off the heels of talking about the lack of size Bryce Young has — that there’s gonna be a difference of opinion for some people between Stroud and Bryce Young,” Hasselbeck said. “In that regard, there’s a lot to like about CJ Stroud especially when you talk about how the ball comes off his hands.

“Mel mentioned some of the guys that have slipped in terms of raw, physical ability and what they’ve become now in the NFL. I think Stroud is that type of player where when you look back at it you’ll say, ‘Why were people thinking about a player who didn’t have as much physical ability to project forward?'”

Ultimately, the discussion between Stround and Young seems to come down to a matter of personal opinion as the two put up such similar numbers. Either way, it will be interesting to see where both quarterbacks land, as they should hear their name called the first day of the 2023 NFL Draft on April 27.