Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud has taken the NFL by storm in his rookie year, lighting up opposing defenses and leading his team back to the playoffs under first-year HC DeMeco Ryans following three straight seasons of four or fewer wins. His draft slot will long be remembered, as well for the players taken nearby.
C.J. Stroud Draft Pick
Stroud was selected second overall in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Texans, an easily justifiable selection, given his strong track record over two years as the starting quarterback at Ohio State.
He lit up the stat sheet as a member of the Buckeyes, starting with a standout first year as the starter in 2021, where he completed 71.9% of his pass attempts for 4,435 yards, 44 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Stroud followed that up with a standout season in 2022, as he threw for 3,688 yards, 41 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
The Carolina Panthers were also in need of a quarterback, however, and had a chance to take whichever one they wanted after trading up for the first overall pick.
Instead of taking Stroud, they went with Bryce Young out of Alabama, who had thrown for 4,872 yards, 47 touchdowns, and seven interceptions as a sophomore before tallying 3,328 passing yards for 32 touchdowns and five picks in his final collegiate season.
Houston then had its choice of other prospects with the second and third picks in the draft and added standout Alabama EDGE Will Anderson Jr., as well as Stroud.
The Indianapolis Colts then took Florida QB Anthony Richardson at fourth overall, ultimately rounding out the selection of QBs in the first round of the draft.
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Stroud and Anderson have certainly had the most immediate impact of those top four selections thus far.
In his rookie season, Stroud threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns with just five interceptions in 15 starts after missing two games due to being in the concussion protocol. Anderson, meanwhile, is up to 45 tackles (29 solo), 22 quarterback hits, 10 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, and one pass breakup through 15 appearances, including 13 starts.
Young struggled across 16 starts this season, completing just 59.8% of his pass attempts for 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also took 62 sacks amid a bevy of struggles for the Panthers.
Richardson went 50 of 84 for 577 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception across four starts before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.
Although Young and Richardson certainly have time to leave their marks in the league, it’s clear the Texans have been the early winners from the 2023 draft, given the pair of key playmakers they added with the second and third picks.
Stroud aims to continue the magic he has produced thus far on Saturday when he and the Texans square off with the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
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