Coming into the 2023 NFL Draft, there were three highly-rated quarterbacks that could have potentially been the next franchise guy to lead teams into the future that had presently fallen on hard times. Those quarterbacks were Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's CJ Stroud, and Florida's Anthony Richardson. Like most young prospects, there were uncertainties with all three until they finally played in an NFL game. Now, the Houston Texans drafting CJ Stroud look like the smartest pick of the entire draft, as the rookie is looking like a legitimate NFL MVP candidate through nine games.
CJ Stroud first had to overcome Ohio State quarterback stigma
Stroud had a resounding stigma set against him from the moment he was considered a high draft pick, and that's all because of the college from which he came from. Ohio State, for whatever reason, has been able to produce highly productive quarterbacks at the collegiate level, but once those players turn pro, they have had less than stellar results.
Many NFL teams have had draft misses that have more or less debilitated their entire franchise because they drafted an Ohio State quarterback. Only five have, however, been taken in the first round, with Stroud being the latest. None have ever made a Pro Bowl.
Since 2007, the NFL has drafted an Ohio State quarterback as late as the fifth round, starting with former Heisman winner Troy Smith in the 2007 NFL Draft. He was followed by Terrelle Pryor in 2011 in the third round, Cardale Jones in the fourth round in 2016, and Dwayne Haskins and Justin Fields both in the first round in 2019 and 2021.
Stroud, however, was the highest-drafted quarterback in Buckeyes' history, drafted at No. 2 overall by the Texans. And now he's playing better than any Ohio State quarterback before him, like he's more than just the Offensive Rookie of the Year; he's playing like he's the MVP of the entire league.
The Texans' game against the Bengals put CJ Stroud on the map
Again, coming from Ohio State, there were many doubters when it came to Stroud. Not to mention he was coming to one of the more inept teams in the league, going 11-38 over the past three seasons, and was more or less depleted of talent, in rebuilding mode, starting with himself as the quarterback. They were also bringing in a rookie head coach in DeMeco Ryans.
But now the Texans are sitting at 5-4, one game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South, after winning a thriller against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. And Stroud was brilliant, outplaying the talented Burrow. The rookie quarterback completed 23-of-39 passes for 356 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, and another rushing touchdown. But more importantly, Stroud led a game-winning drive on the road without his top receiver in Nico Collins and running back Dameon Price.
Stroud is doing what a lot of franchise quarterbacks do: making everyone else better. To go on the road against a more highly favored team, a more talented team, that had seemed to have gotten back their rhythm over the last couple of weeks in the Bengals and lead a game-winning drive is massively impressive for any starting quarterback in the NFL, but especially a rookie.
What are the oddsmakers saying about CJ Stroud winning the MVP?
So is the hype for this rookie quarterback justified? Should we believe what other pundits are saying and place Stroud on such a high pedestal so soon in his young career? The odds could ever be moving in his favor.
Just last week, Stroud's odds to win the MVP went from 250-to-1 to 125-to-1, per Yahoo Sports, via BetMGM. He's ranked seventh currently (+2000), just behind Joe Burrow (+1800), Josh Allen (+1400), Lamar Jackson (+600), Tua Tagovailoa (+600), Jalen Hurts (+300), and the current favorite Patrick Mahomes (+275).
Out of the quarterbacks that are ahead of Stroud, he's thrown the least amount of interceptions, only throwing two for the season. Mahomes has thrown eight. Stroud leads in passing yards but is behind the others in touchdowns thrown (15) and completion percentage (61.6), while Hurts and Allen are well ahead of him in rushing scores (2).
With the better half of a season left to play, if Stroud continues to put up impressive numbers and can get the Texans into the playoffs, he could very well be playing himself into being the legitimate MVP of the league. The problem is that there hasn't been a rookie win the NFL MVP since Jim Brown.
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