CJ Stroud Draft Slide Due To Past Failures Of Ohio State QBs In NFL? That's What Deion Sanders Thinks

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One of the mysteries of this year's NFL Draft is the position of Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud. At one point, Vegas saw him as a significant favorite to go No. 1 overall. Now, there are questions if he gets picked in the Top 5. Colorado head coach Deion Sanders thinks past Ohio State quarterbacks struggling in the NFL is part of the reason.

The same thing happened two years ago with Justin Fields. Many projected him as a Top 5 pick, perhaps the No. 1 overall selection. But he fell to 11th overall where the Chicago Bears traded up to grab him.

People thought Fields could end the stigma of Ohio State quarterbacks in the NFL. They haven't played well, historically. In fact, Google "best Ohio State quarterback in the NFL" and the answer is Mike Tomczak. He wasn't even drafted, and threw more interceptions (106) than touchdown passes (88) in his NFL career.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders thinks CJ Stroud is falling down NFL Draft boards due to lack of success by past Ohio State QBs.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders thinks CJ Stroud is falling down NFL Draft boards due to lack of success by past Ohio State QBs. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Some think Fields is erasing that doubt, but I don't agree. Fields is an incredible athlete, but still has a long way to go as a passer. And his field awareness is some of the worst in the league.

I think NFL teams agree with me more than the media, who love Fields. But he could easily be another example of an Ohio State quarterback who didn't do much in the NFL.

That brings us to CJ Stroud. Stroud reportedly fared very poorly on a cognition test, though he says that shouldn't matter.

But Colorado coach Deion Sanders thinks the Ohio State quarterback baggage is the real issue. He told Pat McAfee that he would take Stroud as the second quarterback (after Bryce Young) but thinks Stroud is "getting criticized and blamed for the lack of success the former Ohio State quarterbacks."

Of course, all of this could be for naught. NFL Draft season produces some of the most misinformation of any sports event in America.

Teams could easily be trying to throw other teams off the scent or drum up interest for potential trades -- or drum DOWN the price for potential trades.

The good news is we don't have to wait much longer.

The NFL Draft starts Thursday night.

And it can't come soon enough.