C.J. Stroud: 'Those Who Don't Understand Tape Might Want to Go to Other Things'

Ohio State product C.J. Stroud was one of the best quarterbacks available in the 2023 NFL draft alongside Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson, and the Houston Texans selected him with the No. 2 overall pick hoping he can be their franchise quarterback.

However, there were questions about Stroud's ability to succeed in the pros following reports that he performed poorly during a test administered by S2 Cognition "that scientifically measures an athlete's game-speed cognitive abilities down to a millisecond level."

While speaking with NBC Sports' Peter King, Stroud was asked to discuss what he learned during the draft process, and he specifically pointed out that his game tape speaks for itself:

"Humility is something I'm not afraid of. It's something I'm accustomed to. This was all probably just a humble moment God wanted me to go through.

"A lot of people haven't played the sport, and I mean critics are gonna critique. For me I know the film speaks for itself. Everything that I've done in college, I've been very consistent. I think I've been one of the most consistent players in college football for the last two years. If you turn on the tape, you can see, you can answer the questions. But those who don't understand tape might want to go to other things and analyze other things. They're more than welcome to do such. But the people who are making the choices and the picks, they knew what I can do. They understood the IQ that I do have.

"I have a great memory when it comes to football. I feel like there's different ways to be geniuses. You don't just have to be book smart. You can be analytics smart. You can be numbers smart. You can be football smart. I really think that there's different types of ways to be smart. That's something that I pride myself on. And I am book smart. I did have over a 3.0 in college. I had over a 3.0 in high school. I know that I can think. I can process very, very fast. The film, you can see me going from first option to second and then back to one and then to three to four if I have to. I can check down. I can use my feet."

Stroud, who finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2021 and third in voting in 2022, had an impressive career at Ohio State.

In his first season as the team's starter in 2021, he completed 71.9 percent of his passes for 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns and six interceptions in 12 games. He followed that up by completing 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,688 yards and 41 touchdowns against six interceptions in 13 games last season.

Stroud has all the tools to succeed, and doubting him based on the S2 Cognition test would be unfair as he has yet to even see an NFL field.

If he starts for the Texans in 2023, then it'll be fair to judge him after the season. Until then, fans should be excited to see what he can do.