I ponder if Burrow and Ewers had not transferred out, would their skills be in doubt. Is a rose still a rose by any other name?
It’s going to be so interesting to watch Young, Stroud, and Richardson develop (I never bought the Levis hype). To me - and I could be wrong - Stroud has the highest floor, Richardson the highest ceiling, and Young is somewhere in-between. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Stroud wins offensive ROY. The following years, though, will tell the tale.
I think Young has the highest ceiling if we are talking about him being a Drew Brees. Richardson could be a Lamar Jackson/Cam Newton style. Stroud is maybe Matt Ryan.
From what the scouts say, Young feels like he has the best chance for early success, since he can do some of those Deshaun ad lib things where he takes a mediocre-to-losing playcall from the headset and turns it into positive yardage instead. But give it 3-4 years, and the real concern with Young is his durability. Unless he has a magical Russell Wilson-like spider sense about when to get rid of the ball or slide on his runs before tacklers come, he's going to be at high risk of injury even during his rookie contract. I think Stroud is going to be well-suited for this offense where we don't ask him to improvise too much, but it might not fully succeed until his 2nd or 3rd year. A much more normal career arc than what Young or Richardson might have.
I feel like that’s a harsh comparison for Stroud. Don’t get me wrong, I get it, especially when it comes to the arm talent comparison… but this kid is no statue in the pocket. Unlike Matty Ice, Stroud truly does possess the athletic ability to extend a play and ad lib. He didn’t have to use that facet of his game too often at OSU, but man that Georgia game really told the tale. If I’m being fair I’d comp him closer to a Dak Prescott like QB in a player who CAN run to extend a play but would prefer to deliver to drop back and deliver a strike for plus gains yardage.
lets say Mills is starting QB to start the season out and hes crushing ass. What do you do? trade Mills?
I think in this scenario the team would continue to roll with Mills for next season until he falters. They could always use the excuse that Stroud is a rookie and doesn't need to start right away. If Mills somehow does it all season long, then the team makes a call in the offseason if they really think Stroud is still the guy or not and then trade one or the other. But like others, I just can't see it happening. I was fully on board the Mills train at this time last season and he was freaking AWFUL. Like way, way worse than I thought he would be. So it's hard for me to imagine that was a fluke. Way more likely those 5 games to end 2021 was a fluke and last year we saw his true colors.
