Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day couldn’t praise quarterback CJ Stroud enough after his pro day. Day offered incredible thoughts on Stroud and his pro-day workout ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft.
“It’s as good of a workout as I’ve seen,” Day said via ElevenWarriors.com. “Whether I was coaching or in the NFL or now in last couple years here at Ohio State.”
Day, so impressed by Stroud and his workout, extended the window to put over the performance. “It even goes back to when I was at Boston College, we had Matt Ryan and he had a great workout. But this is as good as I’ve seen.”
The Atlanta Falcons drafted Matt Ryan at No. 3 overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. Ryan went on to win an MVP award in 2016 and led the Falcons to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in franchise history in 2008 and 2009. Ryan took the Falcons several times to the NFC Championship Game and made multiple playoff appearances.
All of this to say, Matt Ryan was a franchise quarterback. The Falcons viewed him like one, so they took him 3rd overall when they were in desperate need of a QB. Ryan took that onus, ran with it, and became a pillar for the organization.
If CJ Stroud accomplishes as much as Ryan, or even half as much, it would be a success. So keeping that comparison in mind, it’s no surprise why NFL scouts have raved over him just like Ryan Day did.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022