Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was foolish to issue a warning about his pre-NFL Draft cognitive test results this season, but now the agency representing him is taking things even further. We are taking a step forward.
Athletes First is reportedly ordering all intelligence tests to be canceled with a view to 2024 in light of Mr Stroud's results being leaked. Although the agency does not represent the top quarterbacks in the upcoming draft class, this decision could very well influence other agencies to follow suit with their clients.
“After much internal discussion, Athletes First representatives have instructed draft candidates to respectfully forego participation in cognitive and psychological testing during the pre-draft process (AIQ, S2, etc.) ” the company wrote in an email. to an NFL club acquired by The Athletic. “We understand that many of your teams use these tests and protocols as part of the prospect qualification process, but our recent experience with these exams has not been very positive. Specifically, the fact that certain results and performances were publicly leaked last year shows that there is truly no confidentiality in these tests. It is not appropriate to be the subject of discussion or ridicule in a public forum. No other job interview is subject to such scrutiny.”
According to a message cited by The Athletic, the network's players will continue to engage in “standard pre-draft physical activity, as well as football-based interviews and film reviews.”
This came after Stroud reportedly scored 18 out of 100 on the S2 test, leading to damaging speculation about his mental fitness for the sport. NFL teams have utilized S2 primarily for quarterbacks since his 2016 season.
“I'm not a test taker. I play football,” Stroud said in response to all the criticism. “At the end of the day, I have nothing to prove to anyone, so I'm not going to sit here and explain how I play football. They know what I can do, so that's fine.'' That's all that matters to me. ”
The Texans selected Stroud with the second pick out of Ohio State, and it was a smart choice as Stroud led the team to the playoffs for the first time since the 2019 season. He posted an unforgettable campaign and won the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year award. But in 15 games, he completed 63.9 percent of his passes for 4,108 yards, 167 rushing yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions, and at times looked like the league MVP.
Meanwhile, No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young struggled as quarterback for the Carolina Panthers. He reportedly scored a 98 on the test. The Indianapolis Colts selected quarterback Anthony Richardson with the fourth overall pick, reportedly scoring 79 points. There's no point drawing too many conclusions about the season the signal callers put together. Injuries and surrounding personnel created vastly different situations for each player.
Ultimately, the person who leaked the test results would be the one who would suffer the worst consequences in this situation. Although the inventors ultimately said that wall street journal Stroud's results may be invalid, and the comments were too little, too late.
