National Football League

2023 NFL Draft odds: QB C.J. Stroud new favorite to go No. 3 overall

Updated Apr. 27, 2023 3:11 p.m. ET

A new 2023 NFL Draft rumor surrounding one of the most hotly debated prospects in this year's class has caused major odds movement in the hours leading up to the draft.

Quarterback C.J. Stroud is now the consensus favorite to be selected at No. 3 overall at several sportsbooks, including +115 at FOX Bet, as of early Thursday afternoon.

Just two days ago, Paris Johnson Jr. overtook Stroud as a favorite to go third overall.

Let's dive into the possible reasons Stroud's odds are on the move on draft day.

Stroud's quick rise back into the upper echelon of draft projections is the latest — and maybe final — twist in a whirlwind pre-draft process for the star Ohio State quarterback. Adding to the intrigue are growing rumors that one team, in particular, is set on trading up to draft Stroud: the Tennessee Titans.

The Titans would need to move up eight spots from No. 11 to secure the No. 3 pick and draft Stroud. Incumbent veteran Ryan Tannehill is in the last year of his contract, the Titans have reportedly "lost faith" in 2022 third-round pick Malik Willis and several reports claim that Tennessee is exploring a trade up in the draft to get a quarterback, with some of those reports even naming Stroud as the team's desired target.

The Arizona Cardinals, who currently hold the third overall pick, already have veteran quarterback Kyler Murray who signed a massive contract extension last offseason, so their chances of taking Stroud if they stay at that draft slot are extremely slim.

However, the Cardinals are reportedly evaluating several offers to trade down from that pick and secure more assets to help elsewhere on their roster. It's worth noting that new Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort was most recently the Director of Player Personnel with the Titans before moving to Arizona in January.

In the immediate aftermath of the Panthers' trade with the Chicago Bears for the No. 1 pick, Stroud was a heavy favorite to go first overall to the Carolina Panthers. But his stock has cooled significantly in recent weeks. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is currently the heavy gambling favorite to go to Carolina with the first pick (-10000 at FOX Bet).

However, several reports and oddsmakers indicate that the Houston Texans, despite seemingly needing a quarterback, will likely pass on Stroud and not select a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick.

Further potentially impacting Stroud's draft stock was a report that Stroud had a very low score on the S2 test, a mental cognition test that several teams factor heavily into their quarterback evaluations.

However, FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt doesn't buy the belief that Stroud could struggle to make the snap judgments that an NFL quarterback must make, having covered Stroud throughout his Ohio State career.

Joel Klatt's 2023 mock draft 2.0

Klatt discusses Stroud and others.

"I don’t see what the test is trying to get me to see," Klatt said on a recent episode of "The Joel Klatt Show." "The test is trying to tell me that [Kentucky quarterback] Will Levis processes information, reacts and makes better decisions, because of that information, than C.J. Stroud? That’s not what I see on tape."

In his latest mock draft, Klatt has Stroud going second overall to the Texans.

"I don’t know if that is gonna happen, but if Houston doesn’t take him, it’s a mistake," Klatt said.

Another criticism of Stroud is that Ohio State, despite being one of the proudest and most storied programs in college football, has a notorious track record of inability to produce quarterbacks who go on to star in the NFL. While some NFL coaches may be scared off by that, it's unlikely that the Titans' Mike Vrabel — a former Ohio State standout himself and extremely proud Buckeye — is among that group.

Vrabel is reportedly close with current Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day, who told Colin Cowherd on a recent episode of "The Herd" that after working closely with Stroud for several years, he was surprised at the narrative that the quarterback was not a good mental processor.

Ohio State HC Ryan Day on QB C.J. Stroud's processing ability

Day sits with Colin to talk about Stroud as an NFL QB.

"When you're evaluating C.J., I thought this was one of his strengths," Day said. "I think you're looking for extraordinary traits, and with him, it's ball placement, it's accuracy, but also it's his ability to see the field and process information. All of this narrative has caught me off guard because, in my three years with him, my experience has been that he's excellent in this area."

Will the Titans — or another team like the Atlanta Falcons — trade up to No. 3 to take Stroud? Keep up with all the odds news around an action-packed 2023 NFL Draft day right here on FOX Sports.

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