Bryce Young vs. C.J. Stroud stats: Will Alabama or Ohio State star be first QB chosen in 2023 NFL Draft?
With the NFL Combine underway, the league has entered its final phase leading up to the 2023 draft.
This year’s class or rising star offers plenty of talent as a quarterback. Two of the biggest names on the big boards of 2023 are Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio’s CJ Stroud.
The jury is very divided on who will be the first quarterback selected this year, but the consensus is it will be Young or Stroud. With combined exercises, private workouts, and team interviews still to come, much may change, but the safe money lies with one of these two.
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Young and Stroud both played their high school prom in Southern California. Young graduated from Mater Dei in Santa Ana and Stroud graduated from Rancho Cucamonga, about an hour’s drive northeast. Young went to Tuscaloosa to play for Nick Saban while Stroud chose to play for Ryan Day’s Buckeyes.
Both have been starters for the past two seasons. They never played each other as starters in college, though Young knelt in the final game of the Crimson Tide’s 52-24 win over the Buckeyes in the 2020 national championship game.
MORE: Breaking Sports News 2023 NFL Mock Draft
Young finished his career in Alabama with a 23-4 record as a starter, while Stroud went 22-4 in his career in Columbus.
The similarities don’t stop there. There are other parallels in their statistics. Both were efficient, accurate passers who avoided losing possession. Neither showed exceptional running ability, but Young had the statistical advantage on the ground.
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Both have relatively high floors, having played in pro-style offensives, but Stroud comes out on top in terms of size – he’s listed at 6-4,220 pounds while Young is listed at 6-0,194 .
So who will be the starting quarterback in the 2023 NFL draft? It seems more pundits would agree with Young, but it’s essentially a dead heat.
Here’s a breakdown of Young and Stroud’s collegiate stats and where several big mock drafts land the QBs:
Bryce Young Statistics
| season | comp | Att | Compt | Yds | pass TD | Rush TD | INT |
| 2020 | 13 | 22 | 59.1 | 156 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 366 | 547 | 66.9 | 4,872 | 47 | 3 | 7 |
| 2022 | 245 | 380 | 64.5 | 3,328 | 32 | 4 | 5 |
CJ Stroud Statistics
| season | comp | Att | Compt | Yds | pass TD | Rush TD | INT |
| 2021 | 317 | 441 | 71.9 | 4,435 | 44 | 0 | 6 |
| 2022 | 258 | 389 | 66.3 | 3,688 | 41 | 0 | 6 |
Stroud has had a tangible completion rate advantage, especially in 2021, throwing six more TD passes over the past two seasons. Their INT averages as starters were identical (six per year). Young had a big advantage on quick touchdowns.
Stroud has been healthy throughout the 2022 season, while Young missed a game on October 8 against Texas A&M.
2023 NFL mock drafts
The sports news
- Young: #2 overall for Texans
- Stroud: No. 4 overall for Colts
CBS sports
- Young: No. 3 overall for Panthers (via trade Cardinals)
- Stroud: #1 overall for Texans (via Trading Bears)
the athlete
- Young: #1 overall for Colts (via Trading Bears)
- Stroud: #2 overall for Texans
Pro Soccer Network
- Young: #1 overall for Texans (via Trade in Bears)
- Stroud: No. 4 overall for Colts
Yahoo Sports
- Young: No. 4 overall for Colts
- Stroud: #2 overall for Texans
USA TODAY sports
- Young: #1 overall for Colts (via Trading Bears)
- Stroud: #2 overall for Texans