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2023 NFL Mock Draft: C.J. Stroud or Bryce Young Number One?

By Evan Bachman

Sep 24, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) celebrates a touchdown during the first half of the NCAA Division I football game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus DispatchNcaa Football Wisconsin Badgers At Ohio State Buckeyes
Sep 24, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) celebrates a touchdown during the first half of the NCAA Division I football game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus DispatchNcaa Football Wisconsin Badgers At Ohio State Buckeyes /
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With the regular season of college football close to coming to an end, now is an excellent time for a 2023 NFL mock draft.

The 2023 NFL draft cycle looks like it’ll be a very exciting one. The battle for QB1 between Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s CJ Stroud is a very tight one. In this 2023 NFL Mock Draft them and two other quarterbacks come off the board in round one.

Will Levis will undoubtedly produce many differing opinions about where he should be drafted and be a highly discussed player in draft circles. There’s also some intriguing storylines with teams having multiple first round picks as first rounders are being traded more now than ever before it feels like.

As it stands four teams that would be drafting in the top ten, won’t be because of previous trades. This allows for all kinds of interesting scenarios that could present itself come draft night.

So, without further ado let’s hop into this 2023 NFL Mock Draft starting with the Houston Texans at number one overall.

Any stats used come from Pro Football Focus Premium Stats

1. Houston Texans: CJ Stroud, QB, Ohio State

Davis Mills has shown some promise in his first two seasons, but if the Texans are in a position to land a quarterback prospect like C.J. Stroud or Bryce Young I certainly think they’ll take it.

Stroud and Young both have strong cases to be QB1 in this class. It will ultimately come down to whether the team picking number one will value Stroud’s accuracy or Young’s ability to create out of structure.

In this 2023 NFL Mock Draft I give Stroud the nod to be the number one overall pick. Stroud is having a great season as the signal caller for an offense that looks unstoppable. The Buckeyes quarterback is the favorite to bring home the Heisman trophy and he looks like a potential favorite to be the number one overall pick as well.

Stroud does a lot of things well but his combination of mental ability and accuracy is what makes him number one overall pick caliber. The anticipation on some of the throws he makes is quite remarkable, it’s like he knows exactly what every player on the field is thinking. On top of that, his accuracy is just absurd, he consistently places his passes well. At times, it even looks like he walked up to the receiver and handed them the ball.

Another thing that Stroud does well that I think gets overlooked is his ability to navigate the pocket. He does a good job of sensing pressure, stepping up to avoid it, and getting the ball out before taking a sack.

The question mark for Stroud is whether he’ll be able to find success without the elite talent he has surrounding him. Ohio State quarterbacks don’t have a great track record in the NFL, so this will certainly be something that is discussed.

I don’t see it having much of an effect on his draft stock however and if he continues his elite play he’ll be a lock to hear his name called very early on draft night.

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