Much has been made of former Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud’s low score on the S2 Cognition Test.
However, the 2023 NFL draft prospect struck back on Wednesday after helping at a youth football clinic hosted at a Kansas City area high school as part of the league’s outreach.
“I’m a football player,” Stroud said via Eric Edholm of NFL.com. “I’m not an S2 taker. But shout out to S2, man, they probably have a good system, what they do, no diss to them. But I know who I am, and I know what I can do on that field.”
Stroud has been the subject of discussion after reportedly registering the lowest S2 Cognition score of the 2023 quarterback class. The results are pertinent as the test is related to a prospect’s decision-making, one of the key aspects of playing quarterback.
The second-team All-American quarterback offered that playing for the Buckeyes and having exceptional cognitive function are synonymous.
Said Stroud: “I don’t think you can play at Ohio State and not be smart. At the end of the day, if you don’t trust and believe in me, all I can tell you is: Watch this.”
The Houston Texans may be one of the teams that will watch what Stroud does elsewhere as the team is open to possibilities at No. 2 overall. The Carolina Panthers are kicking off the draft, and are equally quarterback-needy and have fallen in love with Alabama’s Bryce Young, who was linked to the Texans early in the draft process. However, the Panthers trading with the Chicago Bears to move up from No. 9 overall to No. 1 overall may have given Houston some ideas to think of options other than quarterback at No. 2 overall. If so, that means passing on Stroud and looking to other positions, notably defensive end. The top two edge defenders in the class are Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson and Alabama’s Will Anderson.
