With the second pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans selected quarterback CJ Stroud. This pick surprised some fans, who believed that quarterback Will Levis may have moved into the second-best quarterback spot in this year’s draft following rumors on Reddit.
Following his selection, CJ Stroud became understandably emotional and gave fans the best quote from the entire night. Speaking to ESPN’s Suzy Kolber immediately after having his name called, Stroud thanked God for giving him the strength to combat the uncertainty and insecurity that draft prospects are forced to deal with.
Speaking about that and how his faith and the solid grounding created by it helps him, Stroud told ESPN, “God has battled-tested me. I have the armor of God on me. Everything I’ve been through has prepared me for this moment right here.”
Stroud offered another gem of an answer following his second overall selection when asked, “What would you say to all the young boys?” Stroud quickly responded, saying, “I’m a living testimony that you can really do anything, because I come from nothing. And to that little boy, that little girl out there, man, you can do anything you put your mind to.”
CJ Stroud was a standout star while playing for The Ohio State Buckeyes, leading them to multiple bowl games during his tenure as the team’s starting quarterback. Stroud ended his collegiate career with numerous top 5 finishes in Heisman voting, a feat few others can claim to have achieved.
Fox News summed up his college career on the field, noting that Stround managed to make it to fourth place in the 2021 season’s Heisman Trophy voting, then placed third in the 2022 season. For those two seasons, in which he played as the quarterback for the Buckeyes, Stroud managed to complete a whopping 69.3 percent of his passes, or 575 out of 830. Those led to 8,123 yards and 80 touchdowns, with just a dozen interceptions.
These responses from Stroud give off a similar feeling as those from Eagles’ quarterback Jalen Hurts’ comments before the Super Bowl in January. Back then, Hurts also shifted the focus off of himself and offered praise and thanks to the Lord, saying:“I usually keep my prayers to myself, but I say, ‘God knows, God knows’. And you know, I lean on Him.”
Continuing, Hurts said, “I really lean on Him and I try and keep Him in the center of everything I do because I know, without God, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldn’t be the man I am today, without having that faith in him, without having integrity, and leadership and diligence and all those things. But, you know I think the biggest thing is you get so influenced by so much around you, you just wanna pray that you’re the person that God called you to be. So, that’s what imma do, you know, be who God called me to be.”
Watch Stroud speak to ESPN about his faith here
VIDEO LINK