The Ohio State football team will be looking on as C.J. Stroud begins his career in Houston. He’s definitely got an uphill climb ahead of him.
The Ohio State football team and its coaches helped quarterback C.J. Stroud develop into one of the best prospects in this year’s NFL draft class. With pristine accuracy, good size, and excellent arm strength, the Houston Texans took no reservations in drafting him No. 2 overall.
But the concern lies within the Texans organization with this draft pick. The Texans are still trying to get back on their feet following the Deshaun Watson fiasco. And with one of the worst rosters in the NFL a season ago, they have a mountain to climb before they get back to relevance.
Most people around the league believe it was the Texans themselves that leaked Stroud’s S2 Test score in hopes of possibly trading back and still landing Stroud. Is that really a good move on the Texans’ part to let the face of the franchise be belittled the way that he was leading into the draft? Is that an organization that Stroud can trust will do right by him?
I’m not sold that Houston is the best place for Stroud. I would have much rather seen Indianapolis or Atlanta move up and trade for him. But that did not happen and here we are. Stroud has an elite skill set that translates to the NFL. But with a depleted roster, awful receiving corps, and a franchise that couldn’t fill a quarter of their stadium with fans last season, I don’t like this recipe for Stroud.
Can he transcend all that with his skill and leadership? Maybe. But it’s going to take a Joe Burrow level of performance to do so. I hope I’m wrong, I want to see Stroud do well and make many Pro Bowl trips during his career. I just believe he’s in a tough spot to do so.