Robert Griffin III, Micah Parsons defend C.J. Stroud over recent backlash ahead of 2023 NFL Draft - “100% lying season”

As he continues to court backlash over his recent issues, C.J. Stroud has found another pair of supporters.

Recently, reports emerged of the Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback scoring a measly 18 on the S2, a test that assesses athletes' decision-making in pressure-filled situations like games. By comparison, consensus no. 1 pick Bryce Young scored 98.

This has led to a major dip in stock for Stroud, but former quarterback Robert Griffin III was quick to defend him on ESPN's 'Get Up':

“Am I losing my senses? When did CJ Stroud become a guy that was going to drop out of the top 2 or 3 into the top 10? This guy was arguably going to be the No. 1 pick in the draft just a couple of weeks ago. So whoever is putting out all these rumors and all these stories, you have to take it with a grain of salt because it is 100% lying season when you get this close to the draft.”

Current Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons shared the same sentiment, even drawing comparisons to Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields:

It’s no coincidence! They did the same thing with Justin Fields! We see how that turned out lol!

What has been the recent criticism looming over C.J. Stroud?

Speaking about Stroud's low S2 score, an anonymous NFL executive told 'Go Long's Bob McGinn:

“If you get a high score as a quarterback it’s not saying you’re going to be a great player. But if you get a low score, it’s 100% — none of the quarterbacks that got a low score became good players.

The executive also revealed the target score for the test:

“The benchmark is 80. Eighty and above is good. Stroud was 18. It’s incredibly terrible. He’s going to be off (some team’s) boards. He will not be picked by those teams.”

But a low S2 score is not the only issue said to be facing Stroud. On a recent episode of 'The Lombardi Line', former league executive Michael Lombardi straight-up called him "not an easy guy to coach":

Will the recent backlash affect C.J. Stroud's draft stock?

Apparently, it already has. In recent days, Kentucky's Will Levis has emerged as the new favorite to land with the Houston Texans 2nd overall, as revealed by betting analyst Anand Nanduri:

For comparison, here are the odds from April 11, three days before Lombardi made his description of Stroud:

This has led fans to claim that Stroud was indeed the target of a somewhat successful smear campaign, but whether he brings his issues to the field or not, only his play will definitively answer all the questions raised about him.

Scouts still think of him as "a sturdy and cerebral pocket passer who reads the field and leads his team with superior intangibles" (via TSN's Vinnie Iyer), so that is encouraging for him to hear.