Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud burst onto the NFL scene during his rookie season in 2023 after being selected by the franchise with the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
After two great seasons at Ohio State, Stroud made his way to H-Town and shocked the entire league by leading the Texans to an AFC South crown and a playoff win.
If people hadn’t paid attention to Stroud before, they are now. After completing almost 64% of his passes for over 4,000 yards and 23 touchdowns, Stroud put the NFL on notice heading into 2024 and his peers responded by respecting what he was able to do in just a single season, especially as a rookie, and ranked him as a top 20 player in the league – coming in at 20th overall on the list.
The NFL Top 100 is announced annually right before preseason begins and is voted on by the league’s players. Making the list is an accomplishment of its own as there are thousands of players, but being good enough to reach the top 20 is something not many can say or do.
The lights are now the brightest they have been in some time in Houston and for Stroud that means all eyes, and pinned defensive ears, are all on him to prove that his rookie season wasn’t just a fluke. Luckily for him, he will have a plethora of weapons this upcoming season as the Texans gear up for another playoff run in the hopes of claiming the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy.
