If Stroud played more like he did vs Georgia, he would be the clear #1 pick. I watched him alot and i got frustrated when he would just sit in the pocket. Its like sometimes , black qbs tries to prove the point of being purely pocket qbs. CJ can move, he just don't for some odd reason and play outside the pocket. The most imprssive thing about Strous is he gives his wr's a chance at the ball. He throws the ball over the proper shoulder even when wr's are being contested.
He don't move alot b/c he's a qb & those guys don't like to be hit period.......& all moving and running around does is increases the odds of that happening. But that's not any different from most all qbs lol.
But i agree with you to a point. I think there is a stubborness with black qbs about that b/c they more often than they're white counterparts are more likely to be labeled as running qbs, but the motivations behind it aren't necessarily for what people think...Well in some instances, it might be for EXACTLY what people think..which is money. Long story short, you're not gonna see the same type of money being labeled as a running qb vs being labeled as a traditional pocket passing qb. & even if you are due to recieve a big pay day as a guy labeled more of a runner, you're going to have trouble getting what you deserve/ask for...even as a good winning starting qb vs 1 labeled as even a slightly above average pocket guy. The thinking there with NFL FO's is that the running guy can be more readily replaced vs the pocket guy...& i'm not so sure that's not correct...but look at the most recent past and current situations.
Kyler Murray had to issue subliminals on twitter towards the Ariz franchise before they capitulated & paid him.
Dak was correctly labeled as a running qb coming out...even as a 4th rounder who was expected to do nothing tho he showed over the years that he can pass from the pocket with the best of them. Yet he still had a relatively drawn out contract situation before Jerry finally went on a paid him....but before that happened, he got hurt running the ball & the issue came right back up..."Is he
really worth 40 mil?"
Then there's the LJ8 situation. Ravens low-balling this dude who is a former MVP...& trying to blame him not getting the extension he wants on him not having an agent & more recently b/c of his injury to end 2022 & the possibility of him getting a serious injury sometime down the line b/c he runs more than average.
Meanwhile, Josh Allen got paid & had no issues getting paid...b/c he's not labeled as a running qb..even though he runs more than perhaps anyone on this list not named Lamar Jackson.
A dude like Kirk Cousins not labeled as a pocket passer......who also has done really nothing team or individual wise has quietly racked up 115 million.....guaranteed..33 per over the last 4 years & had no real issues getting it.
Mahomes signed a half billion dollar deal..noone batted an eye about it either other than b/c of how much it was...& he's been hurt alot over the last few years & runs/scramble alot too. why isn't he labeled a as running qb?
& if Hurts doesn't change the narrative on who he is, we should expect him to have a difficult contract situation in a few years as well...especially if they wind up losing this SB b/c of him not effectively passing the ball from the pocket.
So i won't knock Stroud or any of these young black qbs coming out if they're trying to do all they can to shake and/or keep away from that stigma of being a running qb that alot of them get labeled b/c they can move.
