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CJ Stroud, the Ohio State football quarterback, will likely be one of the first five or six players off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft. Several teams at the top of the draft need a new QB, including the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, and Carolina Panthers. Of those high-picking teams, here are the three best CJ Stroud NFL draft destinations.
Houston Texans
The Texans are sitting at the No. 2 pick, which means they will get one of the top two signal-callers in the 2023 NFL Draft. If they fall in love with Alabama’s Bryce Young, they could trade up to No. 1. However, if they sit tight at No. 2, chances are the Ohio State football QB, CJ Stroud, will be the pick.
This is an excellent pick for the Texans, but a scary one for the signal-caller they draft.
It’s almost certain the QB who goes to Houston will start in Week 1, as the team is almost completely devoid of talent, and developing their next franchise quarterback is the only priority this offseason.
If Stroud wants to, and is capable of, jumping into the fire immediately, this will be a great fit for him.
The problem here is that we’ve seen many highly-touted QBs get in the NFL game too early, ruining their promising careers. For every Payton Manning and Trevor Lawrence, there are many more players like Sam Darnold, Blake Bortles, and (a QB Texans fans know well) David Carr, who played too early and busted.
If the Buckeyes QB is up for the challenge, the Texans could be a good CJ Stroud draft fit.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are currently sitting at No. 4, and despite what owner Jim Irsay has publically hinted, they could stay put and take the best QB on the board at that point. If that is CJ Stroud, the former Ohio State football star would be a good fit.
Indianapolis has an excellent offensive line with highly-paid players on it like Quenton Nelson and Ryan Kelly. They also have an excellent running game, with Jonathan Taylor lining up behind the QB.
The franchise also has a new head coach in former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, who helped turn Jalen Hurts from a low-end prospect into a Super Bowl signal-caller.
If anyone can get the best out of Stroud — and that means turning him into a dual-threat QB at the next level — it’s Steichen. Stroud didn’t show off his true running ability until late in his Buckeyes football career, but seeing what he did with Hurts, Steichen could develop that with Stroud.
The biggest issue with the Colts is that they have a bunch of No. 2 wide receivers without a true WR1 pass-catcher. Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce are OK for now, especially with Pierce having the potential to become a WR1 someday, but if the team takes Stroud, it needs to find him the best weapon it can on the outside.
Detroit Lions
The best CJ Stroud NFL draft fit, though, is with the Detroit Lions. This is a long-term play where Stroud would sit for a year behind Jared Goff and learn from him and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
Detroit is picking at No. 6 despite nearly making the playoffs thanks to the Matthew Stafford trade with the Los Angeles Rams. Chances are, they won’t be picking this high again for a while, so taking a blue-chip QB prospect makes sense.
Like the Colts, the Lions also have a good offensive line and above-average running backs (if the franchise brings back Jamaal Williams in free agency). The team also has the best WR in this group with Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Under Dan Campbell, the Lions look like a franchise finally turning around. Detroit has only been to the playoffs three times this century, but with Campbell and his fiery demeanor leading the way, they look like a team that could become the class of the NFC North in the next few seasons.
A lot of that is predicated on finding a long-term solution at quarterback, though, which is why CJ Stroud is as important to the Lions as the Lions' situation is important to him.
At the end of the day, Stroud is a good prospect but maybe not one who is ready to come out and dominate in the pros right away. Taking a redshirt year to learn under an experienced QB, just like he did with the Ohio State football program under Justin Fields, is the best outcome for Stroud.
