NFL Draft: 5 surprise teams that should trade up for C.J. Stroud

Ohio State superstar quarterback C.J. Stroud is going to be a top-10 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

No matter how he performs in the College Football Playoff, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud has done enough in his Buckeyes career to be an unquestioned top-10 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.

In all likelihood, Stroud projects as one of two quarterbacks who will certainly be coming off the board inside of the top five, along with Alabama’s Heisman winner, Bryce Young. Though you could argue for either being the No. 1 overall pick by the Houston Texans, other quarterback-desperate teams like Carolina Panthers or the Indianapolis Colts could end up taking the other star player.

But what about teams probably picking outside of the top 10? Would any be willing to move up?

5 NFL teams who could surprisingly move up to draft C.J. Stroud inside the top 10

The Green Bay Packers have already traded up to draft a quarterback recently

Let’s be real. It feels way more likely that the Green Bay Packers will trade away former first-round pick Jordan Love this offseason than Aaron Rodgers retiring. This may have been a down year for Green Bay, but the Packers are playing their best football down the home stretch in hopes of a surprising playoff push in a down NFC. What’s Love got to do with it for Stroud? Everything…

Even if Green Bay were to be picking in the high teens after missing out on the NFC playoffs, the Packers front office may see an opportunity to draft Rodgers’ successor for real this time in Stroud. Although Stroud is too good to ride pine for more than maybe a season, the Packers could recoup some draft capital if they were to find a franchise that would want to kick the tires on Love.

While Green Bay is an extreme long shot to pull this off, the Packers did trade up for Love before…