Welcome to the NFL young beginner! After being important players in their universities, rookies must once again earn their places in the pros. Who are they and what hopes do they raise? Come and discover these new gems. Today, the formidable quarterback CJ Stroud of the Houston Texans.
Coleridge Bernard Stroud IV
Born October 3, 2001 in Rancho Cucamonga, California
1m90 for 100 kilos
Quarterback, Houston Texans
Before the draft, observers were divided on whether CJ Stroud or Bryce Young would become the best quarterback in the NFL? This Sunday, October 29, the Texans are traveling to Charlotte: a meeting between picks 1 and 2 of the 2023 draft!
If I Was an NFL Start: Third Down Man
In football, offenses are allowed four attempts to gain ten yards. They use three before often playing on the foot, if the contract is not fulfilled. The 3rd attempt is therefore the most important of all: the money down in original version.
Over his first three games with Houston, CJ Stroud was the NFL leader in getting a new streak of four on 3rd down (22 times). Also first in yards gained and touchdowns thrown on this third try (456 and 3)!
In his first six NFL games, he threw 9 touchdowns for only 1 interception! Thus the Texans, who were promised hell before the start of the season, have a balanced record of three victories for three defeats.
Who remembers that CJ Stroud is just a rookie?
If I were a course: humor as defense
Football is a complex game but it was arguably the easiest thing about growing up for CJ Stroud. Growing up in poverty in the eastern suburbs of Los Angeles, he saw gang violence. Thanks to his faith in God, he was able to protect himself despite the absence of a father who had been incarcerated since he was 13 years old. Today, his father is still in prison because his sentence was 38 years, for a sordid story involving drugs, kidnapping and rape!
He lived in modest apartments with his mother and three eldest children: neither enough to buy new crampons nor enough to properly nourish the body of a young athlete. Star of the basketball team and quarterback of the football team, his high school did both.
His journey means that CJ Stroud does not tremble on the pitch, not even in important moments. It made him strong and gave him some perspective on things, as his former teammate Paris Johnson (Cardinals) told Eleven Warriors :
“He has a lot of wit and constantly makes everyone laugh. I believe humor is his way of protecting himself. »
If CJ Stroud was a quality: precision
CJ Stroud is surgical: he scans then operates with precision. Two seasons as starter at Ohio State for 85 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions! A regular shooter at his high school, his 3-point shots were a hit in basketball. On the lawns, his long-distance precision is just as lethal: 31 passes yielding 30 yards or more in 2022!
Whether he attacks the depth or the intermediate zones, he focuses on targeting the outside shoulder of the receiver to prevent any intervention from a defender.
His way of playing is that of a “pro” and that is what makes him a player with a future in the NFL.
If CJ Stroud was a flaw: not being a dual threat
CJ Stroud is a game manager in all his splendor: he weighs the risks and most often takes “what the defense gives him”. He trusts his arm for that.
But to be effective, an NFL pitcher must now also know how to run with the ball. CJ Stroud is not the most athletic quarterback, far from it. This is the step he must climb to reach the next level.
If CJ Stroud was an NFL player: Joe Burrow (Bengals)
CJ Stroud and the Bengals quarterback share a lot of similarities, both in terms of their size and their ways of playing. And because Joe Cool is well surrounded in Cincinnati, Houston is trying to do the same thing.
If I were a project: dominate the air
The Texans’ game plan is based on formation 11-Staff : 3 receivers, a tight end and a runner. CJ Stroud therefore throws a lot and the Texans’ attack is above all aerial: 214 passes for 167 races in 6 games.
During the market, Houston therefore recruited two aerial targets and not just any targets. Receiver Robert Woods (11th NFL season) and tight end Dalton Schultz (6th) provide a lot of reliability with 58 touchdowns between them in their careers! They are logically the first two options in Houston’s aerial game.
In addition to the two “veterans”, he also developed a special connection with two young receivers. Nico Collins is an intimidating physical player while Nathaniel Dell is a rocket. With them, CJ Stroud can reach for the stars.
In the 2023 draft, the Texans bet the number 2 pick on CJ Stroud to put them into orbit. The rocket has not yet taken off but everything is ready on the launch pad.
