CJ Stroud responds to cognitive test rumors
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C.J. Stroud is not concerned about a report that he flunked a cognitive ability test.
Last week, longtime NFL reporter Bob McGinn wrote on the site GoLongTD.com that Stroud scored an 18% on the “S2” cognitive test, in which fellow 2023 NFL Draft first-round quarterback hopefuls Bryce Young scored a 98% and Will Levis a 93%.
In a video shared by Charlotte Observer columnist Scott Fowler, Stroud downplayed the significance of the test.
“I’m not a test-taker. I play football,” Stroud said.
“At the end of the day, I don’t got nothing to prove to nobody, so I’m not finna sit here and say how I process football. The people who are making the picks know what I can do, so that’s all that matters to me.”
Stroud spoke about how everybody is a critic on social media.
“People who know how to coach better, know how to play quarterback better, they know how to do everything on social media, but the man in the arena, that’s what’s tough, is stepping into the arena,” Stroud said.
“So, I’m gonna stand on that. I know what I can do. I know what I can process. If I’m not the smartest quarterback in this draft, I know I’m one of the smartest quarterbacks in the NFL when I step in there tomorrow, so I’ve got confidence in myself.
“I don’t think you can play at Ohio State and not be smart, so I don’t got nothing to prove to nobody. At the end of the day if you don’t trust and believe in me, all I can tell you is to watch this.”
The S2 test is administered on a laptop and is supposed to measure players’ “split-second” decision-making.
McGinn wrote that one source called Stroud’s performance on the test concerning.
“Stroud scored 18,” an executive told McGinn. “That is like red alert, red alert, you can’t take a guy like that. That is why I have Stroud as a bust. That in conjunction with the fact, name one Ohio State quarterback that’s ever done it in the league.”
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day disputed the implications of the test results.
“Of all the things, I just feel like [his cognitive ability] is one that I’ve always felt was what makes him special,” Day told the Columbus Dispatch. “For this to be something that’s a topic of conversation right now is catching me off guard.”
Day believes the conversation should be about Stroud’s on-field abilities.
“For as much as people are talking about this, I hope it actually translates to on the field because it seems like a pretty heavily spoken-about topic right now,” Stroud said. “For folks to be talking about a test that may or may not have something to do with football – I don’t know – I just hope whatever they’re testing really translates to on the field.”
Also, NFL quarterback Brady Quinn alleged last week that Stroud skipped out on the Manning Passing Academy.
Despite the detractors coming for Stroud, some still expect him to be the second quarterback taken in Thursday’s 2023 NFL Draft behind Bryce Young.
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