Stroud gives OSU an NFL QB it can love
History littered with underwhelming alums
Let’s talk about the history of Ohio State quarterbacks in the NFL. As low bars go, well, if it were a limbo contest you would need to bend into a pretzel to pass under.
Will C.J. Stroud raise the bar? We’ll get to that, but first some history.
Since the NFL draft began in 1936, the Buckeyes have had 24 quarterbacks selected. Mike Tomczak, who had the best pro career of the bunch, went undrafted. There’s not a Joe Montana or Joe Burrow − LSU product, not OSU sojourner − to be found among a collection of more ordinary Joes, including Germaine.
The most famous NFL highlight may belong to former OSU quarterback Tom Matte, who switched to running back when Baltimore drafted him in 1961 but briefly filled in for injured quarterbacks Johnny Unitas and Gary Cuozzo in 1965, leading the Colts to a win in their regular-season finale. The lowlight? Art Schlichter. Otherwise, Tomczak and Germaine own Super Bowl rings as part of the 1985 Chicago Bears and 1999 St. Louis Rams, respectively, but no former Ohio State quarterback has won an NFL title as a starter.
Back to Stroud, who for my money is the best Nfl-ready quarterback to come out of Ohio State. Dwayne Haskins had a better pure arm. Justin Fields was the best combination of runner and thrower, followed closely by Braxton Miller and Terrelle Pryor. But Stroud’s ability to read defenses, see the field and drop passes into small windows where only his receivers could catch them trumps what any other OSU quarterback brought to the table.
Stroud’s poise, maturity and quick mental processing explain why I am not at all surprised by his instant success with the Houston Texans. Drafted second overall, the 22-year-old just set a league record for pass attempts without an interception (186) to begin a career.
I’m not alone in having seen it coming. So did Stroud’s college coach.
“Not surprised. Very happy for him to have early success,” Ryan Day texted. Teammates already love Stroud. “Man, you should have seen how he came in the building,” Texans offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil said, describing Stroud’s first appearance at the practice facility. “He came in already a leader. He voices himself in the huddles. He’s one of those guys that’s like, ‘Yo, I’m going to lead, and y’all just follow me.’ That’s what we’re doing.” Opponents already respect him. “He’s going to be a great quarterback coming up,” Baltimore linebacker Patrick Queen said after the Ravens’ Week 1 win.
Future Hall of Famers already gush over him.
“It’s incredible, it really is,” Aaron Rodgers said on “The Pat Mcafee Show.” “You know, ball security is job security, and he’s done an incredible job of that. I don’t know him at all, but from afar, I do appreciate, he seems to be a really humble kid. He’s got his head screwed on the right way. He’s a tough kid.
“Man, 186 throws without a pick to start a career? That’s phenomenal. I think the most important stat is, it’s not like he’s throwing for 150 yards a game. He was averaging I think 300 a game before this last game, so big props to C.J. Great start to his career.”
I hear the pushback. The skeptics. “It’s early,” they say.
Exactly, and that’s precisely why Ohio State fans finally can confidently go all-in on a former Buckeyes QB who will be more than a journeyman. If Stroud is getting it done this early, then clearly he can handle the increased speed of the game, the complexity of defenses and the pressure of being a leader in the locker room.
Most impressively, Stroud is succeeding despite the major obstacle of being drafted by a franchise that couldn’t fight its way out of a paper bag last season, finishing 3-13. And that was no one-season anomaly. The Texas are 11-38 the past three seasons.
Compare Stroud’s numbers to Peyton Manning’s rookie season with the 3-13
Indianapolis Colts. Manning, the No. 1 pick of the 1998 draft, set NFL rookie records for completions (326), attempts (575), passing yards (3,739) and touchdown passes (26) in 16 games. But he also threw 28 interceptions, completed 56.7% of his passes and finished with a quarterback rating of 71.2. The next season, when Indy went 13-3, Manning threw 26 TDS to 15 picks and improved his completion percentage to .621 and rating to 90.7.
Stroud’s five-game stats: 114 of 186 passing (61.3%) with seven touchdowns, no interceptions and a 98.4 rating.
Is Stroud the next Manning? Uh, slow down, Tex. But just as I predicted after only a few games into his Ohio State career that Stroud would surpass Fields as an overall better QB – humble brag – I say he will become the best NFL quarterback to ever come out of OSU. roller@dispatch.com @rollercd