Tag: C.J. Stroud NFL draft

Texans QB C.J. Stroud comments on loss of WR Stefon Diggs

The Houston Texans will be without one of their top players in Stefon Diggs for the remainder of the 2024 season.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said he didn’t have the words to describe the loss of Stefon Diggs.

It’s a next-man-up mentality inside the Texans’ locker room, but the second-year passer knows the season will be different without the four-time Pro Bowler by his side.

“You can’t really — you try to think positively about it, but it’s not a bunch of positive thoughts,” Stroud said. “I just feel bad for him. I’m praying for him.”

Diggs suffered a torn ACL on a non-contact injury during Sunday’s win over the Indianapolis Colts and will miss the remainder of the regular season. He’s expected to make a full recovery and play in 2025.
While attempting to run a route against Kenny Moore, Diggs grabbed his leg and immediately dropped to the ground. While he was able to walk off on his own pressure, he headed to the locker room and did not return to the field.

“He was having one of the best times he’s ever had on a team, at least that’s what he told us,” Stroud said. “I just feel for him and praying for him and just hoping that he keeps his head up high and he’ll bounce back even stronger.”
Acquired from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a second-round pick, Diggs was expected to be the constant No. 2 option for Stroud’s passing attack in a breakout year.
With the Texans voiding the final years of his contract, Diggs will become a free agent next offseason, meaning he could play elsewhere in 2025.
“He’s one guy who gave his all to everything we ever asked him to do,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “He’s hurting and we’re hurting for him as well.”
A consistent playmaker during his time with the Bills and Minnesota Vikings, Diggs served as the Texans’ top option once Nico Collins was placed on the injured reserve. Before the injury, he ranked seventh in the NFL in catches (47) and was second on the Texans in receiving yards (496).

He was on pace for a season-high performance Sunday after hauling in a 49-yard catch in the third quarter. Diggs left with a team-leading five receptions for 81 yards.

“His impact is huge,” Stroud said. “Stef has been somebody who you know you can lean on as a friend, as a teammate, as a brother, somebody who gives you life advice and somebody who just is an OG, just a vet, has played a lot of ball and lived a lot of life.”

Right now, the Texans don’t seem interested in adding a receiver before the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 5. Their options are also limited after the Ravens traded for Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson Tuesday afternoon.

Davante Adams (Jets), Amari Cooper (Bills) and DeAndre Hopkins (Chiefs) were all other options that were traded to AFC contenders earlier this month. Jacksonville’s Christian Krik was expected to be moved before he suffered a season-ending broken collarbone on Sunday.

Houston has weapons outside Diggs and Collins, but the production hasn’t matched the hype entering Week 9. Tank Dell, who broke out with 709 receiving yards in 11 games as a rookie, is third on the Texans in receiving yards (229) and touchdowns (2).

He also caught a 7-yard touchdown pass in Sunday’s win over the Colts during the second quarter.

“Tank has been an explosive player in college he was explosive, he has been explosive for us,” Ryans said. “Tank just has to be Tank.”

 

The Texans envision Dell as a franchise cornerstone, so he’ll need to step up as the new No. 1 until Collins can return.
Dell’s not alone, however, since Robert Woods, John Metchie III and Xavier Hutchinson are all expected to produce starting Thursday night against the New York Jets.
“Everybody has got to step up,” Dell said. “Even if you are one of the star players, you still have to step up and do more and produce more. I know all of us are more than capable of doing that. So, we are going to try to go out there and make plays.”

Where does C.J. Stroud rank among starting QBs in Total QBR?

Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud remains one of the top passers in QBR rankings entering Week 6.

Despite overall offensive limitations this season, Houston Texans second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud isn’t slowing down. A week after throwing for over 300 yards in a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Stroud sliced and diced the Buffalo Bills’ secondary with a 331-yard outing en route to a 23-20 win.

With that positive performance, Stroud rose from No. 11 to No. 9 in ESPN’s Total QBR rankings this week. ESPN gave Stroud a 78.4 Total QBR rating against the Bills, his best of the season.

Stroud’s traditional passer rating against Buffalo was 97.6, which actually represented one of his lower ratings of the year. It’s still a promising look, but far from the standard for the second-year target.

Unlike a traditional passer rating, the Total QBR “incorporates all of a quarterback’s contributions to winning, including how he impacts the game on passes, rushes, turnovers and penalties,” according to ESPN.

The metric also considers scenarios that a traditional passer rating overlooks and  looks at “a team’s level of success or failure on every play to provide the proper context and then allocates credit to the quarterback and his teammate to produce a clearer measure of quarterback efficiency.”

Through five games, Stroud’s thrown three interceptions and been sacked 14 times. Two turnovers came in the 34-7 loss against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3.

Here’s a look at where Stroud stacks up against the NFL’s other starting quarterbacks entering Week 6.

NFL QBs ranked by Total QBR entering Week 6

  1. Josh Allen: 77.6
  2. Joe Burrow: 73.6
  3. Jayden Daniels: 73.2
  4. Andy Dalton: 67.1
  5. Lamar Jackson: 67.1
  6. Kyler Murray: 66.4
  7. Brock Purdy: 66.0
  8. C.J. Stroud: 64.4
  9. Baker Mayfield: 64.0
  10. Derek Carr: 63.6
  11. Geno Smith: 63.5
  12. Daniel Jones: 61.3
  13. Jalen Hurts: 59.3
  14. Sam Darnold: 58.7
  15. Dak Prescott: 56.8
  16. Patrick Mahomes: 55.8
  17. Kirk Cousins: 55.2
  18. Matthew Stafford: 53.8
  19. Trevor Lawrence: 53.2
  20. Anthony Richardson: 49.3
  21. Aaron Rodgers: 49.1
  22. Justin Fields: 48.0
  23. Jordan Love: 46.1
  24. Jared Goff: 44.8
  25. Bo Nix: 43.1
  26. Justin Herbert: 41.8
  27. Gardner Minshew: 41.1
  28. Jacoby Brissett: 38.9
  29. Caleb Williams: 36.3
  30. Will Levis: 27.3
  31. Tyler Huntley: 23.5
  32. Deshaun Watson: 21.0

Nix and the Broncos will host the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6.

2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report: QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State

Where will one of the top quarterback prospects be drafted?

The California native parlayed a strong high school career into being a top-50 recruit, so it’s no surprise Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud wound up with a marquee program. He redshirted as a true freshman behind Justin Fields before unleashing a fantastic showing during his first year as a starter in 2021.

Stroud was rewarded with being named the Big Ten Quarterback, Freshman, and Offensive Player of the Year as well as a Heisman Trophy finalist. Despite losing wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave to the NFL prior to the 2022 season, and seeing his presumed top target, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, held to only three contests because of injury, Stroud was once again a Heisman finalist after finishing second in FBS touchdown strikes.

Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 214 pounds
40 time: 4.50 seconds

There’s a lot to like about his game heading into the NFL, and it will be surprising if he falls past No. 2 overall. The Carolina Panthers hold the top spot, and while most prognosticators seem to be leaning toward Stroud as the pick, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen recently said the Panthers are locked in on Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. Either way, with three of the first four teams atop the board in dire need of a franchise passer, Stroud won’t have to wait long to hear his name called on draft day.

Table: C.J. Stroud stats (2020-22)

Year School Class G Passing Rushing
Cmp Att Pct Yds AY/A TD Int Att Yds TD
*2020 Ohio State Fr 1 0 0 — 0 — 0 0 1 48 1
*2021 Ohio State rFr 12 317 441 71.9 4,435 11.4 44 6 32 -20 0
*2022 Ohio State rSo 13 258 389 66.3 3,688 10.9 41 6 47 108 0

*includes postseason/bowl games (stats from Sports Reference)

Pros

  • The most consistently accurate quarterback of the class and can fit passes into tight windows on all three levels of the route tree — his ability to control trajectory is simply impressive
  • At his best throwing slants and posts — puts the ball on the money and gives the receiver a chance to house it in stride
  • Mobile within the pocket and always keeps his feet moving as he’s scanning the field
  • Stood out against premier competition at the highest level
  • Natural feel for the game — senses pressure, finds open lanes, anticipates receivers uncovering, rises to the occasion
  • Squares up properly when flushed out of the pocket
  • More than enough arm strength to attack anywhere on the field and also has the desire to do so with his talents
  • Surveys the field well enough to get through several reads in a timely manner
  • Throws one of the most catchable balls, rarely drilling one too hot in the flats or forcing a breaking receiver to adjust his route
  • Despite being asked to do a lot in 2022, he had the wherewithal to dial it back to play within the confines of the situation when needed
  • Played through a separated shoulder in 2021
  • Unafraid of taking a shot from a defender barreling down on him

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Cons

  • Occasionally gets locked onto his top read, which was easy to understand in 2021 given his receiver. Can be late to reach the correct throw because of this
  • Offers no threat as a runner in the open field
  • Could use a few tweaks from pro coaches to maximize leg drive
  • Presnap protection reads are a work-in-progress

Fantasy football outlook

Personally, I’ll be shocked if Carolina doesn’t choose Stroud. He fits the prototypical mold of what head coach Frank Reich loves in a quarterback. The Panthers have Andy Dalton under contract to serve as a mentor and/or even start the first few games if Reich feels the former Buckeye isn’t quite ready yet.

If Stroud winds up in Houston, expect him to immediately replace Davis Mills without hesitation. Personnel-wise, it’s mostly a coin flip as to which team has more targets. Carolina sports a slightly better veteran presence in its receiving corps for stronger immediate results, though Houston offers a few pieces with whom Stroud can grow together. To-may-toe, to-tmaht-toe.

Carolina didn’t trade up only to trade out, so let’s just assume they prefer Young and Houston somehow wants to go in a different direction, there’s basically no chance Indianapolis will pass on Stroud at No. 4. In fact, another team could try to trade into No. 3 (Arizona) to secure his services.

Year 1 fantasy football returns will be minimal, at best, regardless of where he plays. Generally, rookie quarterbacks without the wheels of someone like Fields or Lamar Jackson struggle to make any kind of serious impact in fantasy. You’ll find a few notable exceptions, of course, but no one should enter single-year fantasy drafts with Stroud being in their 2023 plans. He has rock-solid QB1 upside in the long term and should be the first quarterback chosen in most dynasty settings.