NEWSLETTER
It’s been a rough few weeks for Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. Once considered the heavy favorite (-400 in most markets) to be selected No. 1 overall by the Carolina Panthers next week, Stroud will almost certainly not be taken by the Panthers. Almost all mock drafts are reflecting such at this point.
Whether valid or fair, there’s been plenty of negative reports surrounding Stroud, the most notable being that he bombed the S2 cognition test. I wrote about the S2 cognition test and how well Bryce Young reportedly did on it in recent months, and that’s showing to be extremely important to the Panthers right now.
So, how far will the recent reports cause Stroud to slide down the draft board in round one next Thursday?
In his latest mock draft at 4for4, Connor Allen has Stroud falling all the way to No. 8 where he goes to the Falcons.
“Once the -400 favorite to go first overall, Stroud has dealt with a landslide of negative reports in the past two weeks. His slide stops here with Atlanta, who can’t pass on a significantly better passer than Desmond Ridder.”
Allen has the Panthers taking Bryce Young (which you can take to the bank at this point) and has the Houston Texans taking Will Levis at No. 2. Allen has Anthony Richardson going to the Colts at No. 4. Stroud is falling to No. 8. Which seems wild considering how strongly the Panthers were perceived to be in on Stroud as recently as a month ago.
Also interesting in Allen’s latest mock draft, he has the Cardinals taking Texas Tech edge rusher Tyree Wilson at No. 3 (save for a trade-back). Which caused Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. to fall to the Seahawks at No. 5.
Which, ends up being good news for the Bears! Check out Connor’s Mock Draft 3.0 over at 4for4 for the rest!
So, we can almost bank on Bryce Young going No. 1 at this point, but who goes No. 2? Connor has Will Levis mocked to the Texans in his latest mock draft, but what does Vegas say? Vegas knows almost all of the time.
As of now, here’s what the odds for the second overall selection look like at DraftKings Sportsbook:
Will Anderson Jr. to the Texans is an increasingly good bet. Especially if the Texans aren’t in love with the other QBs. Bryce Young has always seemed to have been their guy. But, with Young almost certainly going to the Panthers now, the Texans can add a QB they’re not in love with or add one of the two best pass rushers in the draft. At least, that’s the way the sportsbooks see it, and I agree.
“If the Texans decide they don’t want a quarterback with the second overall pick, Will Anderson makes a lot of sense. Texans GM Nick Caserio is buddies with Nick Saban at Alabama and they drafted two Alabama players in the top-75 last year. At this point though, I’m not willing to bet on Anderson for reasons I’ll explain in later blurbs.”
Personally, I’ve become fond of the Texans going with an edge rusher and using No. 12 on a QB. If there’s nothing there, then they could take a QB next year. I don’t like taking players you’re not in love with inside of the top 10.
You can check out Connor Allen’s story on the odds at number two overall, here:
https://www.4for4.com/2023/2023-nfl-draft-second-overall-pick-odds-predictions-bets
