C.J. Stroud's exceptional start for Texans makes mockery of pre-NFL draft nonsense

Six months ago, days before the Houston Texans selected C.J. Stroud with the second pick in the NFL draft, somebody had the audacity to label the young quarterback as a surefire bust.

That somebody, an anonymous "NFL executive" who spread pre-draft venom to longtime NFL reporter Bob McGinn, was also apparently among the personnel sources who leaked the intel that Stroud supposedly had an abysmal score on the S2 cognitive test given to draft process. And the person also piled on by suggesting that Ohio State quarterbacks just can’t hack it in the pros.

Thus, with McGinn’s report in GoLongTD.com, the pre-draft rumor mill had an extra dose of fuel contending that Stroud’s stock – despite a sparkling workout at the NFL combine – would plummet.

It’s a good thing for the Texans that GM Nick Caserio and Co. did their own homework.

Fast-forward to now. As the NFL approaches midseason, Stroud is the front-runner to wind up as the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year while turning the pre-draft nonsense on its head.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

As ‘80s-era rapper Kool Moe Dee once said it in a song: "How Ya Like Me Now?"

Heading into Sunday’s game at the Carolina Panthers – who are quarterbacked by the top pick in the draft, Bryce Young – Stroud is a key reason why the Texans (3-3) are in the AFC South race and have turned heads with a quick turnaround under first-year coach DeMeco Ryans. He also stands as another exhibit for why we should all take the pre-draft hot takes with a grain of salt.

The numbers are essential in assessing Stroud’s progress. He has the NFL’s lowest interception rate (0.5%) with just one in 213 passes – a full-time rookie, with one pick! – to enable Houston’s league-low three giveaways. He was the only quarterback in NFL history to not throw an interception while flinging at least 30 passes in each of his first five games. He headed into Week 8 with 1,660 passing yards, fourth in the NFL, leading the league for third-down completions (44) and yards (602). With a pass efficiency rating of 117.2 on third downs, second in the league, Stroud has demonstrated that, well, he can figure it out.

Sure, it’s early in his pro career. But what a start.

It’s also striking to consider what Ryans said this week about the foundation for the rookie’s success. It flew in the face of the stereotypes that some apparently are still eager to express when it comes to Black quarterbacks.

"It starts with his mental preparation," Ryans said.

(Translated: S2 leaks be damned.)

"He’s really dedicated to the process of studying, making sure he’s prepared when he goes into games," Ryans added. "He’s also had success because the guys around him have all jelled well together."

Ryans finished his thought by repeating himself.

"It all starts with the mental preparation with him," Ryans said. "It’s off the charts."

Stroud spent part of his bye week back at Ohio State. How symbolic. He came off that campus and out of a program he likened to "a mini-NFL team" prepared for the game and the attached pressures of the NFL. When someone, during a news conference this week, asked Stroud about the pre-draft skepticism related to his Ohio State background, he handled it like someone who can process mess.

"Everybody is going to have something to say, regardless of what’s going on and how people look at the truth," Stroud said. "Just like we have a job, the media has a job to write stories and get people to tune in. I think stories are being written about Ohio State quarterbacks that are not necessarily true.

"For me, there’s a million things out there that are clickbait and stuff like that. But it’s my job to go out there and prove that wrong and try to prove that we’re getting prepared the right way at Ohio State. I think we’ve had a sort of a short stick."

He acknowledged the "running quarterbacks" who came from Ohio State in recent years (Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett) and paid homage to the late Dwayne Haskins, who seemed poised to get his career back on track with the Pittsburgh Steelers before he was killed in 2022 when struck by a truck while walking on a highway in Florida. And he expects Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields will continue to progress when he returns from a thumb injury.

"Me, I’m just trying to do what I can do in that race as well," he said. "I think that we’ll show that we can be great coming from Ohio State."

Stroud, whose 96.4 passer rating ranks 10th in the NFL, was humble enough when considering how he seeks to improve on the learning curve. While he’s protected the ball well, he ranks 31st in the NFL with a 59.6% completion rate. And with the Texans ranked 27th in the league for TD rate in the red zone, he talked about the need to finish drives.

He also said he wants to be "better with my eyes. Keeping my eyes down the field and not looking at the rush and getting through my progressions better. Things like that. All things that can be fixed, which is a good thing."

And certainly not the stuff that busts are made of.

Stroud vs. Young

The comparisons between the top two quarterbacks chosen in the draft – which can be traced to their days in middle school, competing in AAU basketball while they grew up in Southern California – figure to carry on for years on the NFL landscape.

With Stroud’s banner start contrasting Young’s struggles while still trying to win his first NFL game, it’s a fair and inevitable question: Did the Panthers pick the right quarterback?

"We got the guy we wanted to get," Panthers coach Frank Reich responded during a news conference this week. "Couldn’t be happier about that. In every way. I’m happy for C.J. He’s had six good games, and I have no doubt that 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 you’re looking for and what we’re looking for, not just from our quarterback but in every position, is sustained success at a high level for a very long time. And you can’t measure it in weeks."

Young’s six-week sample size during an 0-6 start includes a 6-to-4 TD-to-INT ratio and 78.7 passer rating.

Yes, Stroud has heard skepticism about his friend, too.

"Watching the film, watching every game of his, I don’t think in any 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. If you’re a quarterback, you know."

The spin on Ridder

Desmond Ridder, the second-year Atlanta Falcons quarterback, has had some impressive moments in helping his team claim first place in the NFC South. The Falcons (4-3) won two of their past three games with Ridder leading last-minute drives to set up game-winning field goals by Younghoe Koo.

Yet Ridder has also committed six turnovers the past two games – five occurring in the red zone – and leads the NFL with 11 giveaways (6 interceptions, 5 lost fumbles). His fumble near the goal line during the fourth quarter at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday epitomized his issues with securing the football at critical times. The ball was punched out and through the end zone as he sprinted for the end zone on a read-option run.

Half-full or half-empty?

"Let’s give him some credit," Falcons coach Arthur Smith said after the 16-13 result marked Atlanta’s first road win since Sept. 22, 2022. "Let’s give this team credit for winning. There’s always things but we’re not going to run away with some negative narrative. We found a way to win. I’m not worried about Desmond Ridder. He’s tough and he finds a way to win."

Smith, returning to Nashville this weekend to face the Tennessee Titans – the team he served as a member of the coaching staff for 10 years, including two seasons as offensive coordinator before landing the Falcons job – can’t be blamed for defending the young quarterback he is tasked to develop.

But if Ridder’s turnovers continue for a team in a playoff chase, the narrative will write itself.

Have you noticed?

Nick Bosa became the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history in September after his 44-day holdout resulted in a five-day, $170 million extension. Now the San Francisco 49ers edge rusher admits that missing training camp might be "a little bit" of a factor for his sagging sack production.

Bosa, who earned NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors after leading the league with 18 ½ sacks in 2022, heads into Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals with just 2 ½ sacks in seven games.

Although he contends that he won’t make excuses, Bosa told reporters this week, "I think I’m trying to work on stuff on the run this year that I wasn’t able to do in camp."

Of course, sack numbers hardly represent the only measure of effectiveness for a defensive lineman. Bosa may not have the lofty sack tally – and neither does his defense, with the 49ers tied for 18th in the NFL with 15 sacks – but he leads the league with 14 quarterback hits.

Still, with Minnesota’s Danielle Hunter (9 sacks), Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt (8) and Cleveland’s Myles Garrett (7 ½) posting big sack numbers in addition to other game-swinging splash plays, Bosa’s chances of repeating with top defensive honors this season face increasingly longer odds. 

Quick slants

After initially facing a four-game suspension for a flagrant hit that resulted in an ejection for the second time this season, Denver Broncos safety Kareem Jackson’s punishment for the blow on Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Musgrave was reduced to two games by appeals officer Derrick Brooks. Although in the original ruling, NFL vice president Jon Runyan chastised Jackson for delivering "a forceful blow to the head/neck area of a defenseless receiver, when you had the time and space to avoid such contact," apparently there was enough gray area to support the argument that Jackson led with his shoulder and had incidental contact with Musgrave. In any event, as Runyan noted, the suspension also took into account that Jackson had drawn fines for incidents from five games this season – including a horrific launch on a helmet-to-helmet hit on Washington tight end Logan Thomas in Week 2. Call it another case of the league sending a message about taking blows to the head out of the game, with Jackson’s tally on fines and the suspension this season totaling more than $369,000. … So much for Brett Maher returning to AT&T Stadium to haunt his former team. Maher was cut by the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday, two days after missing two field goals and an extra-point in the close loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Rams signed Lucas Havrisik off Cleveland’s practice squad as the replacement who will make his NFL debut on Sunday at Dallas. In January, Maher became the first kicker to miss four PAT attempts in a game, a Cowboys victory at Tampa in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs. In his short stint with the Rams, Maher missed on six of his 23 field goal attempts – all of which were from distances of 46 yards or longer.