C.J. Stroud has been in the Houston Texans organization for just about three months, and he’s already making a great impression with the fans.
The No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft is coming in with a large rookie class as the franchise looks to rebuild. Stroud will have his work cut out for him to learn the playbook and get acquainted with a new system, but he feels it’s progressing strongly so far.
“I feel like I’ve done well,” Stroud told KPRC 2 at an autograph signing on Sunday. “(Organized team activities and minicamp) was something I wanted to just put my best in and just be a great leader as well as a great player, soak in the playbook, soak in coaching and be as best I can. I think that was a good start, a good routine to get into training camp and do better there.”
Stroud has been spending a lot of time with his teammates outside of practice to build a positive culture down in Houston. The Texans essentially cleaned house, and have a lot of fresh faces that need to bond together to start over with success.
“Yeah, we’re together 24-7,” Stroud said of his new wide receivers Dell and Hutchinson. “We’re doing all the hard stuff together, all the good stuff and we’re blessed enough to have a great rookie class. Those guys are at the forefront of that and we’re going to do well.”
The Texans have the benefit of playing in one of the weakest divisions with no clear dominant team in the AFC South. While the Jacksonville Jaguars are favored to take it, the Texans and their rookies hold +800 odds to win it, and will be able to have many competitive games unlike last year.