CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Long before C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young emerged as elite college quarterbacks and became the top two picks in the NFL draft they had a middle school clash on the football field.
It was an all-star exhibition on a rainy day in Fontana, California that Stroud, the Texans’ standout and frontrunner for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate, hasn’t forgotten.
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Young led his Inland Empire Ducks to a lopsided victory over Stroud and the Pomona Steelers.
“They killed us terribly,” Stroud said. “I remember we played in the rain. He had a really good game, I played terrible.”
Stroud and Young didn’t know each other until that day, but forged a strong friendship reinforced by their love for the game and intense basketball games.
A two-time Heisman Trophy finalist, Stroud excelled at Ohio State after famously outshining Young at an Elite 11 competition in high school that caught the attention of the Buckeyes.
Young won a Heisman Trophy at Alabama and has always found a way to excel despite a lack of size.
And, now, Stroud leads the 3-3 Texans against Young and the winless Panthers on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium. This marks the first time they’ve competed against each other head-to-head since high school.
“That’s my brother, man,” Stroud said. “Someone I have a lot of respect for. Got really close, probably after high school and always rooting for him. I know he’s always rooting for me. It’s really cool. It’s a blessing to just know that we are from the same area – grew up knowing each other and then our parents know each other.
“Our moms are really close. Our dads know each other. It’s cool just to see somebody just as their journey has gone from high school to college to now into the league. It’s a blessing to have a brother like that to go through the same type of struggle, same type of pressures, the things like that. We talk a lot about that stuff in the offseason and things like that, so it’s a blessing to have someone like that in my life.”
Stroud is off to a scorching hot start to his NFL career, setting a record with 191 passes without an interception to start the season to surpass Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott’s milestone. He has been extremely accurate, poised and sharp. The 22-year-old has passed for 1,660 yards, nine touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Young hasn’t had nearly as smooth a start to his career, passing for 967 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions for a Panthers team that is struggling and is switching play-calling duties Sunday to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown from coach Frank Reich.
The Panthers passed on Stroud to draft Young first overall. And the Texans wound up with the more successful quarterback, at least through six games, of their respective careers.
“We got the guy we wanted to get and couldn’t be happier about that, in every way,” Reich told Carolina reporters this week. “I’m happy for C.J. He’s had six good games and I have no doubt he’ll have many more good games. But I know this when it comes to evaluating quarterbacks or any position, it’s years not weeks.
“You can’t put a label on a guy after six weeks or even a year. I’ve seen guys have Pro Bowl seasons and then a year later fighting to be a backup somewhere else. It’s a crazy league. What we’re looking for not just from our quarterback but at every position is sustained success at a high level for a very long time. And you can’t measure it in weeks.”
The Texans liked both quarterbacks.
They were, at one point, contemplating drafting Young if they had the opportunity.
The Texans, though, lost the chance to have the top overall pick when they defeated the Indianapolis Colts in a meaningless regular-season finale that was the last game of the one-year Lovie Smith era. Texans tight end Brevin Jordan told KPRC that win was the greatest thing to happen to the Houston Texans organization.
The Texans had trade discussions with the Chicago Bears about trying to obtain the top overall pick, but talks fizzled out.
During the draft process, the Texans met several times with both quarterbacks and hosted them for visits at NRG Stadium.
“They played a lot of ball in college,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “It was clear to me that both of those guys were the top two quarterbacks coming out in this draft, and they’ve both done a really nice job.”
Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik spent a lot of time evaluating both quarterbacks during the draft process and has collaborated extremely successfully with Stroud.
“Both of them just jump out to you as competitors,” Slowik said. “As soon as you got into the building on their visits, you could see it on tape, how good they were and how skilled they were at what they did. The grit that they would show in person and the want.
“You could tell that both of them really, they would do whatever it takes to make sure the organization they went to was going to be a winning organization. Both of them took pride in making sure every time that they were in the huddle that they were making the other 10 guys around them better. Those things – you couldn’t miss those things from both of those guys.”
The Texans are off to an encouraging start behind the strength of Stroud’s right arm. They’re in playoff contention for the AFC South division, 1 1/2 games behind the Jacksonville Jaguars, whom they’ve already beaten once.
A win Sunday would give them their first winning record since a 1-0 start to the 2021 season.
Stroud has a lot to do with that improvement this year.
The Panthers have yet to win a game.
Stroud’s knowledge and dedication to getting better are major reasons why he’s played so well.
“Yeah, why has success, I think it starts with his mental preparation,” Ryans said. “He’s really dedicated to the process of studying, making sure he’s prepared when he goes into games. He’s also had success because I think the guys around him have all gelled well together. They play well together, so it just starts with the mental preparation for him, which he’s off the charts.”
Young has improved in recent weeks after missing one game with an injury and having Andy Dalton stand in for him.
“With where he has improved and where he has gotten better, I think you see the same guy from college with Bryce,” Ryans said. “You see a guy who is very smart. When it comes to going through the progressions, making the proper reads, proper decisions with the football, you see the accuracy jumps off the tape, and he’s very decisive with where he goes with the ball. When it’s zone coverage, when it’s man coverage, it really doesn’t matter. The accuracy, the decision-making, it’s really great to see. He’s done a really good job there.”
Stroud knows how tough it is to thrive in the ultra-competitive NFL.
He’s seen his friend make strides.
“Honestly and personally, watching the film and watching every game of his, I don’t think in any way, aspect or form, he’s playing bad,” Stroud said. “That’s what people think if you’re not winning or you have a turnover here or there. Bryce is playing some really good football. I just don’t think people watch in depth. Like if you’re a quarterback, you know.
“I think he’s playing really well. Of course, there’s always things you can clean up. I can clean up a lot of things. I’m not here to be his coach. I’m here just to support.”
Stroud ranks 10th in the NFL in passing yards, 20 spots ahead of Young. he has a 96.4 passer rating, 10th overall, 13 spots higher than Young.
Those fierce basketball games in the offseason. All of their shared background in California. Stroud and Young. Forever tied together as the top two picks of the draft. The comparisons will go on for years. This is the start of it all for the two friends.
“We texted a couple of weeks ago, just checking in on each other and it was nothing about football,” Stroud said. “That’s not our relationship, but personally I think he’s playing well and I think he’ll continue to be great in this game because he has that swagger and mentality and that type of playing style.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.