C.J. Stroud didn’t get much blowback for saying publicly he didn’t want the Bears to draft him No. 1 in the 2023 draft because of the circumstances at the time. This was back in March at the NFL scouting combine, six days before the Bears traded the top pick to the Panthers.
The Bears listened to Stroud and remained committed to Justin Fields, and the Panthers said no thanks to Stroud and selected Bryce Young. Those two teams that passed on the front-runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year clashed Thursday night for a prime-time matchup that not many were eager to watch.
Well, besides grateful Texans fans because their team didn’t pass on Stroud, the No. 2 pick, who’s in the midst of the best rookie season for a quarterback since Justin Herbert in 2020. I’m sure it was annoying for Panthers and Bears fans having to hear the Amazon Prime broadcast rave about Stroud’s sensational five-touchdown, 470-yard performance last week against the Buccaneers.
