Top 3 Reasons Why The Colts Should NOT Draft CJ Stroud

"God gives His biggest challenges to His strongest soldiers"

Being a fan of the Indiana Hoosiers and the Indianapolis Colts, I haven't exactly had a lot to cheer for the past few years. Sure, the Colts with Phillip Rivers made the 2020-2021 playoffs and were inches away from upsetting the Buffalo Bills (losing 27-24) and the Hoosiers men's basketball team swept Purdue in the regular season and made the NCAA tournament this year but what do I really have to be happy about as a sports fan?

Again, the Hoosiers basketball program seems to be on a tremendous upswing, including the women's team who only lost 3 games in the regular season and their star player, Grace Berger, was recently drafted 7th overall to the Indiana Fever. And the men's team recently got an Oregon transfer who struggles walking through doorways, but I digress.

I know you shouldn't have your whole personality revolve around your favorite sports team(s), but that's not going to stop me from doing it. Without the Hoosiers and the Colts, I would not have any identity or personal branding aside from my 'Rawr xD' taste in music and my fascination for Corgis. Yeah I live in Columbus and I have been going to Buckeye and Bengals games, and my mom has been a lifelong Reds fan, but that doesn't come even close to my love for my Indiana teams. I was one of the least upset people in the universe who walked out of The Shoe after losing to Michigan back in November. (Just hope both teams had fun)

Apologies for the tangent, let's dive into the dumpster fire of a franchise that is the Colts:

Can you build a franchise on the back of a veteran quarterback that proved they could succeed in the league on at least one occasion? No. No you can't. You cannot.

Phillip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, Nick Foles. Did NOT work. Jacoby Brissett arguably had more success as a starter after Andrew Luck's sudden retirement.

You have no idea the physical and emotional toll the last two years of Colts football has taken on a fan. Carson Wentz spraining both his ankles on the same play, throwing interceptions on his own 5-yard line, and playing an abysmal game against the Jaguars in 2021 which cost them the playoffs. Throw in Matt Ryan's poor performance and Nick Foles having a rookie DE dance over his dying body this past season and you will understand why a Colts fan may need some emotional support.

However, GM Chris Ballard's master plan is finally coming to fruition. I never doubted him for a second. A QB stacked class for this year's draft with the Colts having the 4th overall pick. Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis are just a few of the names garnering all of the media attention leading up to the 2023 draft.

Bryce Young is definitely going in the first two picks, either to the Panthers or the Texans. I mean this opens up the possibility of Young and Stroud not even being available when the Colts are on the clock. But is that a good thing? (Yes)

Watching Ohio State football the past two years, CJ Stroud is no doubt an elite quarterback. Trust me, I played high school football on a varsity team of 11 players and 2 freshmen and watch ESPN every day, I am an expert. However, I always ask the question:

"Is the guy elite because he is elite, or because he is surrounded by elite players at an elite program?"

There are a plethora of contradictions to that question. Quarterbacks who exceled at programs like Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, Michigan, etc. and went on to dominate the NFL. But if there were a program that would provide any credit to that question, wouldn't it be Ohio State? WRU? The program that churns out first-round WR picks every year?

Could you make an argument that just about any quarterback could succeed in some way at Ohio State with the coaches and star wide receivers around them? How would that translate in the NFL when your WR room is one of the weaker in the league? Justin Fields, for example. (His PASSING stats, not his rushing stats)

Additionally, after watching Ohio State, CJ Stroud seems unable to play under pressure, while being down on the scoreboard. I mean not really, his stats are great, but I don't think it's insane to say his quality of play sees a dip when trying to catch up in a game such as the case against Michigan.

(Then you have contradictions to that idea such as his performances against Utah in the 2022 Rose Bowl and the 2023 Peach Bowl against a historically ranked Georgia defense)

Then you have guys like Anthony Richardson and Will Levis, who weren't surrounded by 4 and 5 star wide receivers their entire college career and were not 'expected' CFP teams. Although Florida is a great program, they pale in comparison to prior years like the Urban Meyer era (obviously). And Kentucky, while enjoying immense success with Mark Stoops as of late, were shrugged off for many years.

Top 3 reasons the Colts should NOT draft CJ Stroud:

1. Performance drops in quality when under pressure

2. Surrounded by an elite program and elite players (Can that translate in the NFL when your support staff isn't as dominant?)

3. Too many times to count that when he has open running lanes, he decided to make errant throws (Decision making?)

3 points that Richardson and Levis cannot be critiqued for (so don't even try). Sure, every prospect has their fair share of pros and cons, but after personally watching CJ Stroud I would not be confident in his ability to succeed in the NFL. But I would be more than happy to be proven wrong. I will always embrace debate, as that is one of the backbones sport is built upon.

Coaches in the NFL are coaches for a reason. Players get drafted and signed for a reason. Look at what the Colts new head coach, Shane Steichen, was able to do for Jalen Hurts this past year with the Eagles (with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith on the roster soooooo maybe ties back in to my questions about CJ Stroud actually). Who is to say he could not replicate that level of play with CJ Stroud and Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce on the roster?

Whatever the case, I would like to see Richardson or Levis in the Colts' blue. If CJ Stroud were to be picked on draft day it would be less upsetting than watching Carson Wentz self-destruct on live television so overall it's a win for me either way.

Being a Hoosiers and Colts fanatic since childhood, 'cautiously optimistic' is a way of life for me. Fingers crossed that the 2023-2024 season is the season for a sixth NCAA banner or another Lombardi.