Raiders 7-round 2023 NFL Mock Draft: Trading back and landing a franchise QB

Raiders NFL Mock Draft: Trading back and landing a franchise QB

10. C.J. Stroud QB Ohio State

As we discussed in the previous slide, the scores for the Wonderlic replacement called the S2 test have come out and the clear winner among the group is Bryce Young who passed with flying colors. The other prospects were not affected so much but the clear loser from these test results is Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud.

Stroud scored an incredibly low 18% on the S2 cognition test and this has reportedly led to teams taking him off their boards and already labeling him as a bust. There has been a strong correlation in recent years with positive S2 tests leading to great play on the field with the likes of Joe Burrow being one of the best examples of this.

Despite the low test score, there is a lot to love about CJ Stroud and that is why the Raiders are able to grab him here with the 10th overall pick after trading down from 7 with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles also sent across pick 62 which gives the Raiders a ton of flexibility in the first two rounds.

In this mock draft, there are three quarterbacks taken ahead of Stroud and his stock has clearly been hurt by the test results but we love everything that he brings to the table.

The Raiders are also in the unique position of needing a long term franchise quarterback but also having a capable day one starter in the building in Jimmy Garoppolo. Other quarterback needy teams like the Indianapolis Colts or Carolina Panthers do not have that luxury and so the Raiders can draft Stroud and spend a year or two developing him into a franchise quarterback.