C.J. Stroud tanks his draft stock in Buckeyes' loss to Michigan, could help him slide to Saints

We can dream, right? The Ohio State Buckeyes collapsed with everyone watching in Saturday’s annual Big Game with the conference-rival Michigan Wolverines, with star quarterback C.J. Stroud throwing two interceptions in a 45-23 losing effort. That disappointing performance could very well be the final game Stroud plays for Ohio State with the 2023 NFL draft on the horizon, and it just might help him slide down to where the New Orleans Saints are picking (at about No. 43 overall). Anything’s possible, right? Right?

Jokes aside, this loss was more on the Buckeyes defense than Stroud’s efforts on offense. He completed 31 of his 48 pass attempts to gain 349 yards and score a pair of touchdown passes, connecting with 8 different receivers on the afternoon. But the Ohio State defense yielded touchdown-scoring plays of 69, 75, 45, 75, and 85 yards to the Michigan offense, who did what they wanted on the ground and through the air. It sure looked like the Buckeyes were missing Pete Werner and Marshon Lattimore out there.

Maybe Stroud was missing Chris Olave and threw the game to help his chances at a reunion (Editor’s note: he did not do this). Stroud is a near-consensus pick as the top quarterback prospect ahead of the 2023 draft, and it’s nearly impossible to imagine him not being the first or second overall player going off the board next April.

That won’t stop us from daydreaming, though. With the future at quarterback as bleak as it’s ever been in some Saints fans’ lifetimes, we’ll cope however we can. It sure would be nice if the Saints could get a stroke of good fortune and see a talented quarterback fall to them. That prospect won’t be Stroud, but they could be someone like Hendon Hooker or Will Levis.