The longtime friends are expected to be chosen at or near the top of the first round Thursday, with Young probably going to the Carolina Panthers at No. 1 and Stroud almost surely to be selected in the 2-7 range.
The locale is different — Kansas City is playing host to the nomadic draft for the first time — but the theme is familiar: Quarterbacks are in the spotlight, with other potential first-rounders including Florida’s Anthony Richardson, Kentucky’s Will Levis and Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker.
Young and Stroud found fame in other parts of the country, but their football roots are in Southern California. Young played at Cathedral High in Los Angeles and Mater Dei; Stroud played at Rancho Cucamonga.
There’s a strong possibility this will be the first draft in which two quarterbacks from Southern California are taken within the first seven picks, with the closest parallel being 2018 when Sam Darnold went third and Josh Rosen 10th.
(Mark Boster / For the Times)
Rancho Cucamonga quarterback CJ Stroud speaks during a ceremony after being recognized as a 2020 All-American.
(Shotgun Spratling / For The Times)
“I did 3½ years in Columbus, Ohio, and I was back [in Southern California] for three months training and getting ready,” Stroud said. “It was amazing for me to get back and have an opportunity to see family, kind of feel the California sun, because I missed it.”
His friendship with Young dates to eighth grade, when he played quarterback for the Pomona Steelers, part of rapper Snoop Dogg’s league, and Young was quarterback for the Inland Empire Ducks from American Youth Football.
“We played each other and they kicked our tail,” recalled Stroud with a smile, sounding as if he’d rather forget that first encounter.
“I didn’t play good. I threw an interception. I didn’t have any touchdowns, I was struggling. But Bryce threw like four touchdowns; he’s always been nice. I was in the process of learning quarterback, getting better and better.”
Stroud even stepped in at cornerback for that game but never reeled in a throw by Young.
“I didn’t get no picks — I wish,” he said. “I’d be talking mess to Bryce right now right now about that.”
Young was diplomatic in his recollections of that game.
“He played well, but as a team we played a little bit…” Young said. “That was a fun game for sure. It was a really big deal for eighth-grade football back in the day. It was a really hyped game. I remember it super clear.
“One of the corners wasn’t doing so well, so he went in at corner too. Me and C.J. are super close and it’s super cool to have him alongside in this process. … Being such a great human that C.J. is, put aside all the stuff you see on film of how amazing he is on the field, having such a great person to be working out with and train with, to have this experience with has been a huge blessing for me.”
Grounds for the NFL draft in Kansas City, Mo., eclipse the size of drafts past.
(Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
As with every NFL event, the draft is constantly expanding. Kansas City’s will be the biggest draft site in league history with a footprint of approximately 3.1 million square feet — more than a million square feet larger than either of the last two drafts, in Cleveland and Las Vegas.
There are 7½ miles of temporary fences, a pop-up structure the size of a football field and more than 10,000 square feet of screens and video boards.
Richardson, for one, can feel the energy.
“It didn’t really hit me until [Tuesday] when I got here,” said the Gators star, who set multiple combine records for quarterbacks. “I’m like, ‘Bam, OK, this is really happening.’ I’m excited to see what [Thursday] brings.”
Rick Neuheisel, the UCLA quarterback turned longtime coach, said there’s something highly unusual about this class of prospects. All of the quarterbacks faced a Georgia Bulldogs team brimming with NFL talent, and in 2021 — the year Young won the Heisman Trophy — he proved himself a cut above.
Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young poses under the updated Heisman Lane sign at Mater Dei.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Young threw for 421 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-24 win over Georgia in the 2001 SEC Championship game, a month before losing to the Bulldogs in the national championship game with 369 yards passing but two interceptions.
“Bryce Young is the class of this deal,” said Neuheisel, who co-hosts a SiriusXM NFL Radio show with Mark Dominik. “Bryce Young in any quarterback class would be a top 10 pick. These other guys I don’t believe would be in the top 10 but for this class.”
The best thing about the draft is we don’t have to wait long to have the months of speculation, smoke screens and mysteries answered.