Where CJ Stroud goes from here, no one knows. But when it comes to what got him where he is now, Stroud gives all the credit to his Lord and Savior” Jesus Christ.
The Houston Texans selected Stroud with the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday. Though, before gushing too much about the NFL, the Texans, winning Super Bowls, or anything like that. Stroud immediately praised and credited Jesus Christ for getting him to this moment.
“First and foremost, I got to always give my Lord and Savior all the credit, Jesus Christ,” Stroud told the NFL Network. “Man, without him, I wouldn’t be here. He’s the reason I’m here.”
No. 2 Pick CJ Stroud: “First and foremost, I gotta always give my Lord and Savior, all the credit, Jesus Christ.” #NFLDraft2023 #NFLDraft #Texans #CJStroud #NFL #JesusIsLord pic.twitter.com/fNS9i16H5R
— God’s Gospel (@GodsGospelMin) April 28, 2023
When asked the standard question about what he personally brings to the Houston Texans organization, Stroud gave a very non-standard answer.
“I bring me,” the quarterback said. “I bring a man of God. I bring a leader. I bring somebody who’s going to go to work every day and work their tail off.”
In a follow-up interview with ESPN’s Suzy Kolber, Stroud again credited faith.
“Yes ma’am, I mean, God has battle-tested me. It’s something that I feel like is in me, it’s not on me. He’s scarred me, so I’ve been battle-tested. I have the armor of God on me, so everything I’ve been through has prepared me for this moment right here.”
Stroud was indeed tested on the college gridiron, but he’s also been tested more recently. During the pre-draft process, Stroud was under intense scrutiny after scoring 18 percent on the NFL’s cognitive test. That score was far below every other elite QB projected to go in the first round. For example, the next lowest score among potential first-round QBs was a 79 scored by Florida’s Anthony Richardson. Some believed the low score would make teams loathe to use a high pick on the former Buckeye.
Those concerns proved to be unfounded.
C.J. Stroud receives a phone call in the green room backstage before being drafted by the Houston Texans during the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft at Union Station on April 27, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
Stroud wasn’t the only big splash made by the Texans. Houston also held the 12th overall pick, which they traded to Arizona to take Alabama’s Will Anderson, the player many believe is pound-for-pound the best player in the draft.
For those facing life struggles, Stroud unsurprisingly stressed the importance of faith.
“Man, believe in yourself,” Stroud said. “I was at a point when nobody believed in me, but I put my trust in God and my family.”