Just over a week ahead of the 2023 NFL draft, the football world is abuzz with chatter surrounding the top quarterbacks in this year’s class. With seemingly marginal differences separating the top prospects, the latest bit of news coming out regarding Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud could present a potential cause for concern.
Speaking as a guest on the Pick Six Podcast, former NFL quarterback-turned-Fox Sports analyst Brady Quinn shared an anecdote about Stroud bailing on a commitment to the esteemed Manning Passing Academy, a renowned camp for high school quarterbacks. According to Quinn, Stroud’s no-show has given some teams slight pause in their pre-draft evaluations.
Report: CJ Stroud made a commitment to the Manning Passing Academy but “the night before he ghosted them and didn’t show up”, per @Brady_Quinn
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 19, 2023
"When you do that, that's gonna set up alarms for people."
Quinn noted that as one of three concerns with Stroud (h/t @PanthersAnalyst) pic.twitter.com/z2Y9gAPbFe
“I’ve been told that he committed to it the night before, then just kind of ghosted them, didn’t show up,” Quinn said. “That’s football royalty, and when you do that, that’s gonna kind of set off some alarms for people, like, ‘Hey man, that’s not how you conduct yourself—especially around the Manning family, or just in general—if you’re gonna be a franchise quarterback.’”
Quinn went on to say that he still views Stroud as the second-best quarterback in this class, and that in his personal experience being around Stroud, he has been an “upstanding young man, who’s grown and matured into a leader that, I think, NFL teams are looking for.”
Where Stroud ends up landing when the draft gets underway on April 28 remains to be seen. He’s among the top quarterbacks available, along with Bryce Young, Will Levis, Anthony Richardson and Hendon Hooker.
