FACE OF THE FRANCHISE
Here's what to expect if the Houston Texans draft CJ Stroud
Apr 13, 2023, 4:55 pm
CJ Stroud seems likely to be the Texans' pick. Composite image by Brandon Strange.
With two weeks left until the 2023 NFL Draft, it sounds like the Carolina Panthers are zeroing in on taking Bryce Young with the No. 1 pick.
While rumors and speculations always ramp up this time of year, what would it look like if the Panthers indeed took Young and the Houston Texans opted to take Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with the No. 2 overall pick?
Having the second-option at quarterback in this year’s draft will cause a few certainties for the Texans. The first will be that Houston fans will be polarized on the decision to take Stroud. Some will feel like the Texans settled for a need and made the wrong choice, while others will argue the team ended up with the best prospect in the draft.
The next thing that will be unavoidable will be the comparisons.
From the moment all the quarterbacks leave Kansas City, especially for Young and Stroud if they go No. 1 and No. 2, their careers will forever be linked by not only the fan bases of their new respective teams but NFL followers all over the country.
When Young makes a dazzling play to help his NFL franchise, in this scenario the Panthers, fans will marvel at it and use it as fuel to support why he is the best quarterback in the draft.
Bryce Young showing off his clutch gene in the final moments against Texas. pic.twitter.com/GBdWJuCiGA
— Michael Rimmer (@avl_mike) April 11, 2023
When Stroud makes an impressive throw, you can bet there will be a “Stroud SZN” account on social media that will let everyone in Houston and the country hear about it.
C.J. Stroud does a great job getting away from the inside pressure and then finding Marvin Harrison Jr. for the score. pic.twitter.com/XuCjHH0Kks
— Nick Penticoff (@NickPenticoff) April 11, 2023
When it comes to the actual Texans, they will do their best to put him in a position to succeed, beginning with trying to take pressure off him.
Head coach DeMeco Ryans has already put it out there. Regardless of who the team takes at No. 2, he is not going to put the weight of the world on his shoulders with pressure.
With veteran Case Keenum in the quarterback room, the Texans will hope he can offer Stroud guidance on how to navigate the NFL waters.
Considering that Keenum’s first ever NFL offense came from the same tree that offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik will draw from — the Gary Kubiak, Shanahan system — he can also help Stroud with intricacies of the playbook.
Running backs Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary will be key in the success of Stroud if he is the team’s new QB1, and so will veterans like receiver Robert Woods.
With the plethora of draft capital the Texans have available, there will likely also be rookie prospects that stir up optimism for them to make plays.
At the end of the day, the biggest things Houston fans will look for if the Texans indeed take Stroud is proof. When the team took Deshaun Watson in 2017, it was clear the roster was filled with holes but the quarterback raised the ceiling of the program altogether.
While Stroud might not convert the Texans from a three-win team into a 13-win juggernaut, fans will be looking for plays.
Does he have an act for escaping a would-be sack, can he make an impressive throw on third-and-long to keep a drive going, and does he look better than the guy in Carolina and the two other quarterbacks — Will Levis and Anthony Richardson — while doing so?
There will be pressure. And that pressure will stem from a constant desire to have the No. 1 guy, even if Stroud is taken at No. 2 in this year’s draft.
It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
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