Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud had the opportunity to participate in the team’s pro day a year early on Wednesday. Though he’s not draft eligible, he was the QB selected to make throws during pass-catching drills for wide receivers, tight ends and running backs.

Basically, Stroud got one more opportunity to throw to Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Master Teague and others during the team’s pro day. But it was also an opportunity for the starting quarterback to get familiar with how things work during the process.

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When pro day ended, head coach Ryan Day talked about the significance of Stroud throwing to his former teammates during drills. Day believes his quarterback will benefit most from the experience from a mental standpoint.

“I don’t know if it helps him as a leader as much as it just gives him an opportunity, the next time he’s in this situation, he’s done it before,” Day said, per 247Sports. “Again, I’m pretty sure that Garrett (Wilson) and Chris did this last year, which kind of allowed them to do this for the second time and they’re a little more comfortable.

“You just talk to him about it. It’s the same thing that happened last year when he hadn’t thrown a pass before. Nobody in the country knew who he was at this point. And now people do. In a different way, it’s the same thing. What I mean by that is you can’t listen to the people who say, ‘You’ve never done it before,’ people that are doubting you. After the first couple of games, when they said he couldn’t play, they were questioning the shoulder. They’re the same ones that are saying, ‘You’re going to be the first quarterback in the draft next year.’ So don’t worry about that. Just worry about getting better.”

Stroud is going to be considered one of the top quarterback prospects available for the 2023 NFL Draft. As a first-year starter with the Buckeyes, he was a Heisman Trophy finalist after throwing for 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns with a near 72% completion rate.

With a full year of experience now under his belt, there are sky-high expectations for Stroud entering the 2022 season.