2023 NFL Mock Draft: Houston Texans take their quarterback

Hello, everyone my name is Phoenix as you all may know, and I am back for my annual BGN Community Mock Draft Pick. This year I have chosen to pick No. 2 with the Houston Texans and their new head coach Mufasa (DeMeco Ryans) and with the second pick in the 2023 NFL Draft the Houston Texans select: C.J. Stroud, QB. Ohio State!

The Need

Well, the need is obvious. The Texans don’t have a good young QB on the roster and General Mills, while decent at spots, isn’t going to carry the Texans to relevance unlike C.J Stroud. The Texans aren’t a QB away from being contenders, though they can start the road to success by selecting C.J Stroud, who as you will see will hopefully bring good QB play back to Houston as long as the Texans surround him with good talent and good coaching.

C.J. Stroud and his strengths

As you can see from the spider graph, measureables, and his 2022 college highlights, he has the makings to be the QB Houston has needed since Watson left after, well, you know. You can find the NFL’s draft profile on him here.

He has many positives that make him stand out, and in my view will make him a good NFL quarterback — assuming, of course, the Texans put all the pieces around him to make him succeed and not hinder his advancement. Stroud doesn’t hesitate on his throws, he has great arm strength to air the ball deep toward the sideline with good accuracy, he has shown willingness to extend and make plays outside the pocket, find his way back to platform throws when forced to move, he is able to go through his progressions, and there are many other positives listed that paint him as an NFL-ready QB.

Weaknesses

CJ Stroud does have weaknesses that could hinder him if the Texans don’t help him out and provide him with great coaching and a great roster. He has a hesitance to use his legs, which in this era of mobility equals a key for success for QBs and can really put a cap on his ability to be successful. Stroud also labors to get squared to target when rolling out. He needs a clearer scan for potential pressure points near the line of scrimmage, INTs are more frequent for him when he moves off his primary receiver, he tends to not respect safeties and oftentimes doesn’t give them the recognition they deserve. He is very inconsistent activating lower-body torque on drive throws.

Conclusion

In conclusion, CJ Stroud has all the potential to be a great QB. To me, it depends on the Texans themselves. If they surround him with great coaching and a good roster, he has all the traits to overcome those weaknesses and take the Texans places and be their next great QB. Though, I can also see Stroud carrying the Texans on his back despite a shoddy roster. Though, in all honesty for Stroud it will be 100 times better if they focus on surrounding him with a good roster.

2023 BGN Mock Draft Order

1) Panthers (pheebthegoose): QB Bryce Young
2) Texans (Phoenix X Minimus): QB C.J. Stroud
3) Cardinals (alwaysaphillyfan)
4) Colts (eaglenomics)
5) Seahawks (The Player Formerly Known as Mousecop)
6) Lions (Sam2TheMaximum)
7) Raiders (joey2arms)
8) Falcons (Kephas)
9) Bears (chewy wellington)
10) Eagles (Philly21)
11) Titans (RachAttack)
12) Texans (Domonate)
13) Jets (JawnJam)
14) Patriots (Amish Eagle Lion)
15) Packers (bdawk4ever)
16) Commanders (the dog did it)
17) Steelers (Dr.MidnightGreen)
18) Lions (DreadPirateRocco)
19) Buccaneers (Neil Dutton)
20) Seahawks (wardbell92)
21) Chargers (Brendanekstrom)
22) Ravens (Rollinpin)
23) Vikings (FierceDisc65)
24) Jaguars (dkays)
25) Giants (roberticus01)
26) Cowboys (EHyungNim)
27) Bills (EHyungNim)
28) Bengals (mainmanham)
29) Saints (RiverCityEagle)
30) Eagles (ablesser88)
31) Chiefs (Hoosinole)

Now it’s time for you to vote for who YOU think should be selected in the 2023 BGN Community Consensus Mock Draft.

1) Panthers: QB C.J. Stroud
2) Texans: