C.J. Stroud enters NFL Draft, giving the Colts another QB to consider

C.J. Stroud is entering the NFL Draft, giving the Colts one more quarterback to pore over for the next three months.

The Ohio State star and two-time Heisman finalist took to the day of the deadline to announce that he'd be going pro. The announcement came via Twitter.

"This process has been difficult, and the decision, one of the hardest I've ever had to make," Stroud wrote. "As a kid, I dreamed of playing football at the highest level and after much prayer, I've made the decision that it's time to turn those dreams into a reality."

Stroud is expected to be one of the top quarterbacks selected in this year's draft, a group that includes Alabama's Bryce Young, Kentucky's Will Levis and Florida's Anthony Richardson. He started the past two seasons at Ohio State, going 22-3 with 85 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions on 69.3% completions.

Stroud is considered by some as the most accurate passer of the group, as he topped 66% completions in both seasons. He's gotten to play with a bevy of first-round talent at wide receiver, from Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Marvin Harrison.

INSIDER: Life inside a Colts locker room in a 2022 season unlike any other

The concerns with Stroud have been more about his play under pressure, which is a threat he didn't see as often in Big Ten play behind Ohio State's mammoth offensive line. Stroud only ran for 136 yards in his Ohio State career. However, he answered some of those concerns in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Georgia, when he escaped pressure to complete 23 of 34 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns in a one-point loss to the eventual national champions.

Stroud does not have the athleticism of Young, who also has a Heisman Trophy and a national championship under his belt. However, he does have a distinct size advantage, which will matter to some NFL teams.

The Colts own the No. 4 pick in this year's draft following a 4-12-1 season. They could be a part of an arm's race to the No. 1 pick, which currently belongs to the Bears, who already have a first-round quarterback in Justin Fields.

General manager Chris Ballard said he would do "whatever it takes" to find the right quarterback to end the carousel that has continued since Andrew Luck's abrupt retirement prior to the 2019 season. The next starter will be his sixth in six seasons, as he has yet to select one in the draft to groom at the position.

"We can take one as an organization, and y'all are going to celebrate it and say we have got the savior for the Colts," Ballard said. "And then if he doesn't play well, 'Why'd you take that guy?'

"You've got to be right. We've got to be right. We understand the magnitude you got. We understand the magnitude of where we're at in the draft. And we understand the importance of the position."

Contact Colts insider Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: C.J. Stroud enters NFL Draft