Texans QB CJ Stroud rallies behind ex-Ohio State teammate Tommy Eichenberg ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft

Stroud no doubt witnessed the stellar Combine performance of his former Buckeyes teammate Tommy Eichenberg. With several NFL scouts in attendance, the 23-year-old showed off his vertical (32.5″) and long jump (9’8”). Unfortunately, they couldn’t measure his sprint capabilities because Eichenberg refused to run the 40.

Later, Stroud shared a screenshot of Eichenberg’s drills from the combine on his Instagram. He captioned it,

Definitely a steal in the draft!

Per Bleacher Report‘s NFL Scout Matt Holder, Eichenberg is projected to be selected in the fourth round. Stroud’s Texans hold the 123rd and 127th picks in the fourth round. If they do draft the Buckeyes LB, then he will be able to learn under veteran Denzel Perryman . 

CJ Stroud’s leaked S2 cognition test results hampered his draft prospect

Several factors go into a franchise drafting a player. Besides their physical capabilities and efficiency with a football, there is also the cognitive test that players must take before the official draft.

He was a standout performer for Ohio State. In his 25 games, he won 21 and lost four, recording 575 completions for 8123 passing yards with a rating of 69.3 and throwing 85 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions. It was enough for the Texans to make Stroud the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

However, things would have been a lot different if his S2 cognitive exam results were as impressive as his on-field prowess. Stroud only managed to score in the 18th percentile. In contrast, the Carolina Panthers took Bryce Young of Alabama as the first overall pick. Young reportedly scored in the 98th percentile.

This wouldn’t have made much difference until Stroud’s scores were leaked. 

It was complete B.S. that it was leaked, but people in our league can't help themselves. an NFL general manager told the Athletic‘s Zak Kafeer

However, when the season rolled in, only on-field performance mattered. While Stroud was breaking rookie records left, right, and center, Young was having the worst possible start to a quarterback’s life in the NFL. He only secured 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, eating a whopping 62 sacks in the process.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans later said in October last year that he doesn’t select players based on their test scores. Ryans even bagged the second spot in the race for the NFL Coach of the Year award.