Former Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud has spent the lead-up to draft week getting hounded by the media over poor results from the S2 Cognition Test he took at the NFL Combine.
But Stroud isn’t worried. Instead, he wants it known that he’s a football player, “not a test taker.”
Over the years, the NFL has placed great emphasis on the Wonderlic test, an exam given to all prospects that gauges a player’s cognition and problem-solving ability. The Wonderlic, however, was recently replaced by a new cognition test known as S2. While Stroud is regarded as one of the top QB prospects in the draft, his score on the S2 was 18 percent – reportedly the lowest of all top QBs projected to go early in the draft.
Other QBs projected to go in the first round were significantly higher.
Alabama’s Bryce Young reportedly scored a 98. Ketucky’s Will Levis scored a 93, and Florida’s Anthony Richardson scored a 79.
With a score so far below that of his peers, the media naturally asked Stroud about it. On Wednesday, he told the press that his poor grades don’t define him.
“I’m a football player. … I’m not a test taker,” Stroud said.
“But shout out to S2, man, they probably have a good system, what they do, no dis to them,” Stroud said. “But I know who I am, and I know what I can do on that field. And I’ll do that at the next level.”
C.J. Stroud #7 of the Ohio State Buckeyes drops back to pass during the first half against the Georgia Bulldogs in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 31, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Stroud stressed that he believes he’s one of the smartest QBs in the league.
“I know I have God-given talent — not only to play the game, but to have IQ,” Stroud said. “I think I’m very smart. I think if I’m not the smartest QB in this draft then I’m one of the smartest in this draft and in the NFL.”
The NFL Draft begins Thursday, April 27, at 8 p.m. ET.