C.J. Stroud is the quarterback drafted in the first round with the second pick by the Houston Texans. He had an amazing college performance, becoming the starter as a sophomore and finishing as a Heisman finalist twice before he finished his college football career.
A lot of doubt came along when the question begged: Is he going to be a top-tier quarterback? And reasonably so, during the first preseason game, people were very doubtful and surprised by his poor performance, assuming he was used to the pressure, having barely lost to the National Champions Georgia Bulldogs in the Peach Bowl. But since the season has started, he has proven that he is excellent and, so far, seemingly the best quarterback in the 2023 draft. Seeing his performances and ESPN rankings, he’s barely out of the top ten as he ranks eleventh. Regarding his actual quarterback stat rankings, he is in fourth place overall.
So when the question is asked: “Will C.J. Stroud be a top ten quarterback?” Who exactly is he being placed over? I can confidently say that he will not be better than Patrick Mahomes. But if he can get the Houston Texans a record above eight wins, then we can say that he was a massive piece when it came to the wins. But that isn’t to discredit the other rookies like Will Anderson Jr., or Tank Dell. Both of them are starting players on the Texans who were drafted this year.
I do believe that he will be ranked in the top 10 by the end of the season. He has shown that he is more than capable of leading a team that went three and fourteen last year to a record closer to eight and nine, which is a great performance for a rookie quarterback. So my prediction is that by the end of this year, C.J. Stroud will be ranked around the eight to ten spot when it comes to the quarterback rankings.
When it comes to who his primary receivers will be, I personally believe Tank Dell will be his favorite. We know this from an interview with Tank Dell; he said that he and Stroud were complimenting each other and saying how they liked each other’s playing style. And on the second day of the draft, Stroud facetimes Dell, saying, “I told them I want you.” “Them” being the Texans. So we now know his favorite target, and to be honest, his other targets aren’t too bad. But the other receivers are mediocre.
To conclude, C.J. Stroud will most definitely be in the conversation for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and he may be in the conversation for the top ten quarterback rankings.
