HOUSTON – C.J. Stroud doesn’t lack for confidence, or understanding of the strengths of his game. And the former Ohio State star quarterback’s belief in himself, particularly his precise accuracy and ability to read defenses and see the field, were, ultimately, convincing selling points in his candidacy to be one of the first two quarterbacks selected in the NFL draft.
Although Stroud endured some difficult moments during the draft process when reports were leaked about a low S2 Cognition test utilized by multiple NFL teams, he didn’t let anyone else’s doubt, real or perceived, affect his mood, blocking out the noise of social media and staying focused.
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Now, Stroud has joined the Texans as their new franchise quarterback with the second overall pick of the first round after Alabama quarterback and former Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young was selected first overall by the Carolina Panthers.
“Honestly, I don’t believe in pressure,” Stoud said during a virtual press conference after being drafted. “I think you either do it or you don’t. It’s God’s plan, it’s not mine. I stayed even-keel. I stayed off social media. I had heard a couple things, but everything happens for a reason.
“I was super excited. I had a feeling when I woke up I was going to the Texans,. I don’t care about the outside noise. I ain’t going to be perfect. I’m going to make sure I work my tail off to do the right thing. You got my word on that.”
The way that Stroud excelled during the final game of his collegiate career against a talented Georgia defense resonated with the Texans’ decision-makers, general manager Nick Caserio and coach DeMeco Ryans.
Stroud passed for 348 yards and four touchdowns and completed 23 of 34 passes in a playoff semifinal loss to the Bulldogs, excelling against top defensive players, including first-round draft picks Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith.
The Texans brought in Stroud for a visit and met with him at the NFL scouting combine, and he had previously been coached by quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson at the Elite 11 competition. In the final days before the draft, league sources emphasized to not rule out Stroud going to the Texans after it was initially regarded as a long shot that he would join the AFC South franchise. The Texans did their due diligence, per sources, making a lot of telephone calls and contemplating the decision as an organization before finally deciding that Stroud would be their pick.
“His toughness, his competitiveness, his leadership, his accuracy, those are all strengths of his,” Caserio said Thursday night at NRG Stadium. “There’s certainly things that he’s going to have to work on. There’s things that he’s really probably never seen defensively, what some of the other teams are going to do. He’s going to have to learn our vernacular, our vocabulary of how we call plays.
“It’s like you’re starting over. When you take your Intro to Finance class, it’s probably different than what your Econ class is in high school, if they even teach that. Everybody is starting over. C.J. has qualities that we like, which is why we felt comfortable making the pick we did.”
For a Texans franchise that has gone 11-38-1 over the past three seasons and struggled at quarterback and, generally, on offense, the addition of Stroud could provide them with the franchise quarterback they’ve lacked since former Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson became disgruntled with the direction of the organization, starting with the controversial DeAndre Hopkins trade, and was eventually traded to the Cleveland Browns last year for three first-round draft picks after he wasn’t indicted on sexual misconduct allegations.
“I’m looking at this opportunity like it’s one of a kind, because it is,” Stroud said. “It’s something that God put in my life and so I know it’s for a reason. I know the city of Houston hasn’t seen a franchise quarterback in a long time, and that’s something I hope I become. I know I’ve got to put in the work. I know I’m still young. I know I have a lot to learn, but I know I have coaches on that awesome staff that can teach me to do that.”
Davis Mills, last year’s starter, remains on the roster after passing for 3,118 yards, 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions and going 3-10-1 in games he started. The Texans signed veteran backup Case Keenum this offseason to augment the position.
Stroud could and should provide the Texans with a long-term solution under center. The Texans needed to get better at the position. By adding Stroud, who set the school single-game record with 573 passing yards and six touchdowns in three separate games, the Texans have a tall classic pocket passer who displayed some ability to work off-script in the Georgia game when he played more aggressively.
“I know that it’s meant to be,” Stroud said. “And I know that, with this franchise, it’s going be something that I’m really going to take very, very seriously and I’m going to work my tail off to get some wins.”
Stroud was asked about his agent, Austin-based NFL power broker David Mulugheta, who represents Watson. Mulugheta and the Texans have both emphasized there were no hard feelings or issues in their working relationship in the wake of the Watson trade. Watson asked to be traded, Mulugheta carried out his client’s wishes to help orchestrate his departure. Mulugheta and Caserio have discussed free agents and have an amicable relationship. The issues Watson had with the Texans preceded Caserio’s arrival.
“He’s told me a lot of great things,” Stroud said of Mulugheta’s impressions of the Texans. “He told me Nick Caserio is a great GM, the McNairs are great ownership, and thank you to them for giving me this opportunity. So, he had a lot of positive things to say and I’m excited to get to work, and I’m super excited to be a Texan.”
The 6-foot-3, 218-pound Rancho Cucamonga native succeeded Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields as the Buckeyes’ starter and he emerged as an All-Big Ten Conference selection after beating out Quinn Ewers, who transferred to Texas, and other quarterback prospects.
In two seasons for the Buckeyes, Stroud went 21-4 as the starter and passed for 8,123 yards, 85 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He passed for 3,340 yards, 37 touchdowns and six interceptions last season. In his first season as the starter, he passed for 4,435 yards, 44 touchdowns and six interceptions. Stroud doesn’t take off and run often.
“I think I’m a playmaker,” Stroud said at the NFL scouting combine. “I think I’m very creative and I think I’m smart when it comes to protections and things like that. Because I saw a lot of issues before they were even there. That’s something I pride myself on.
“One thing about me, I think I’m a ball placement specialist. That’s one thing, I like to be very accurate. I don’t want my receivers to have to do anything but catch the ball. I think I’ve shown that time and time on film.”
Growing up in Rancho Cucamonga, California, Stroud was coached hard to work on being a pinpoint passer. The penalty for not doing so: push-ups.
“That’s something I kind of grew up doing,” Stroud said. “In youth ball, my coach, Tojo Munford, forced me to stay in the pocket. He forced me to be accurate. My high school coach, Mark Verti, we used to do little bubble screens and if I didn’t hit the top shoulder, I’d do 10 push-ups. It forced me to be accurate, something I pride myself on.”
Stroud emulates quarterbacks with those kind of qualities of placing the football into tight spaces: Watson and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Growing up, his favorite quarterback was Michael Vick.
“He inspired me not only just to be athletic and use my athleticism, but as a Black quarterback to stay in the pocket and throw,” Stroud said. “That’s something he was very underrated in.”
Stroud acknowledged that he could have run more often, but he did escape the pocket smoothly as he broke out of his usual play-it-safe style in a playoff loss to the Georgia, passing for 348 yards and four touchdowns.
“I tried to describe myself as free-flowing, but still disciplined,” Stroud said. “I like to just be confidence in myself. I don’t try to press the envelope, and I think that’s very important being a quarterback sometimes. You want to let your teammates know that you’re not always trying to be Superman.
“But when can extend the play, you get a lot more respect from your teammates. I’ll be honest with you, I told them like I’ll tell y’all. I didn’t do it a lot in college [run], and I feel like I should have. It’s something I do regret. I feel like I could have done it a lot more.”
Stroud rushed for 108 yards on 47 attempts last season, and he had only 80 runs for 136 yards and one touchdown in college.
“If you turn on the film and really watch what I do and you really look at film game to game, I have used my athleticism,’’ Stroud said. “Not just in the Georgia game, where I did it a lot, but I’ve done it in every other game. I’ve had tough third-down runs. I’ve had tough fourth-down runs. But there were times where I didn’t run the ball or maybe I should have. That’s something I learned. That’s what football is all about. It’s about stepping back up to the plate and fixing those problems.”
Rather than wait and take a chance on perhaps drafting USC quarterback Caleb Williams or North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye next year, the Texans opted to take their shot now on Stroud. When he’ll emerge as the starter remains to be seen, but it’s not expected to take long for Stroud to ascend to QB1 status.
“C.J., really productive player,” Caserio said. “I would say, as competitive a player, has an edge about him in a good way, loves football, wants to compete, wants to be great. Good size, comes from a good program. C.J.’s been a productive player. He’s been an accurate player. Certainly has a long way to go. I think he’ll admit that. I would say there’s no timetable on any player.
“C.J. has a lot of good traits that go along with playing that position, so how that fits with what we’re doing offensively. There’s probably going to be some things that are easier to do than others for him. What’s the fit? How’s that going to look? We’ll see. We’ll find out. That’s part of growing, part of learning, part of adapting, part of adjusting. That’s what the NFL is about.”
A Heisman finalist the past two seasons, Stroud had a 177.7 quarterback rating last year.
Now, he’s looking forward to playing for Ryans, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and learning the Kyle Shanahan-Gary Kubiak offense.
“I definitely felt a great vibe when I got to visit there,” Stroud said. “I can definitely be effective. I bring a fierce, tenacious leader that can lead by example, wants to be vocal, wants to be accurate, wants to be great, that’s going to deliver the ball down the field.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com