Todd McShay gives inside NFL take on difference between Bryce Young, CJ Stroud

The football scouting process never sleeps. That goes for high school recruiting and scouting for the NFL Draft. The top two quarterbacks for the 2023 NFL Draft are unquestionably, Alabama’s Bryce Young, and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud. Both were among the most highly rated quarterback prospects in the country coming out of high school and that trend will once again continue heading into the 2023 NFL Draft. ESPN’s longtime NFL Draft expert Todd McShay recently spoke with Wendi Nix about the differences between the two ultra-accurate signal-callers and broke them down on College Football Live.

“Yeah, Wendi, it’s tough. When you look at these two quarterbacks. They’re both so great in so many different ways. With Bryce Young, I have him as the QB2 in this class coming into the season. The thing that jumps out–he’s so great at processing, going from one read to the next. He’s gonna stand in that pocket and he’s gonna beat you first with his mind. And then it’s his unbelievable touch and timing as a passer. He’s got all of that going for him. And he also protects the football so well. 47 touchdowns, just seven interceptions a year ago,” McShay said.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

“But the knock on him, especially talking to scouts who have been there this summer. Is the size. He’s 5-10, when he’s listed really at 6-foot-1. And a scout just told me the other day, he weighed in, it was 186 pounds. I know everyone’s gonna say, ‘Well, Russell Wilson was 5-10, 3/8 inches coming out of Wisconsin.’ And I get that, but he was tightly packed and really had a sturdy build at 204 pounds. You’re talking about 186 pounds with that small of a frame. So, that’s what scouts I’m talking to are stressing about Young and maybe why he might not be the first quarterback off the board, but certainly still a early first round pick,” ESPN’s NFL Draft guru said.

Todd McShay breaks down C.J. Stroud ahead of 2022 season

“With Stroud, he processes really quickly as well. I think his size is an advantage for him. 6-3, 218 pounds. That’s kind of the new prototype in today’s NFL. So, he has a little bit linear frame, but he’s got room on that frame to grow. And I look at his catalog of NFL throws. I’m talking anticipation before the receiver breaks. Finding a small window between defenders. And locating that spot, leading the receiver to that spot, and having perfect ball placement. He does that at such a high level on some of those hard throws down the field. And the most important thing and the biggest feedback I’ve gotten from scouts this summer is they’ve gone into Ohio State, talked to the coaches, done some of the due diligence,” McShay said on Thursday’s edition of College Football Live.

“His leadership is exceptional. Not good. Not great. Exceptional. I’ve heard from two different scouts who have said, ‘I compare him alot to Dak Prescott when it comes to leadership. And, to me, that’s the greatest trait that Dak Prescott has is his ability to carry his football team. And Stroud does that. Makes everyone better at Ohio State around him because he demands it,” McShay said.