In some ways, we should always have seen this coming.

As a result of he informed us that is who he’s.

Final spring, then-Ohio State quarterback prospect C.J. Stroud stood at a lectern on a stage within the Indianapolis Conference Middle and met the media in the course of the 2023 NFL Scouting Mix. Stroud was simply one of many quarterbacks who spoke that morning, however he drew an enormous crowd. As would Bryce Younger, Will Levis, and Anthony Richardson that day.

At one level, Stroud was requested about his skill-set as a quarterback, and how much passer he needed to be within the NFL. Close to the top of a prolonged reply that coated self-discipline and creativity, he mentioned this:

“And one factor about me, I believe I’m a ball-placement specialist. I wish to be very correct. I don’t need my receivers must do actually something to catch the ball. And I believe I’ve proven that point and time on movie.”

Stroud definitely confirmed that in his days at Ohio State.

Now he’s displaying that “time and time” on movie within the NFL.

The most recent instance, an exhilarating, record-setting day in opposition to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Stroud accomplished 30 of 42 passes for 470 yards (a brand new rookie report) and 5 touchdowns passes, with out throwing an interception. When the Houston Texans went down 37-33 with slightly below one minute remaining, Stroud drove them down the sphere in simply six performs, connecting with fellow rookie quarterback Tank Dell for the game-winning rating.

And what stood out on that drive?

Ball placement.

Take the 2 greatest completions on the drive, beginning with this deep nook path to Dell. With the Texans going through a 2nd and 10 on the Tampa Bay 41-yard line, and Houston out of time outs, choices had been restricted. They’d 16 seconds left, so they may assault the center of the sphere, however ideally Stroud would be capable of discover one thing open alongside the sideline, ideally a play that picked up a giant chunk of yardage.

Mission, achieved:

The Texans runs a mirrored Smash idea, with a deep nook route and a flat route to every facet of the sphere. With Tampa Bay dropping right into a Cowl 2, the nook routes will discover house deep to the skin, however Stroud must navigate the beneath cornerback, in addition to the sideline, when putting this throw.

He does that, placing the ball on Dell proper alongside the sideline whereas taking a giant hit within the course of. Dell completes the catch, steps out of bounds, and Houston has a shot on the game-winning landing.

Which they ship on the following play, once more because of pristine placement from the rookie passer:

Houston comes out with three receivers to the fitting, and a single receiver to the left. They then shift operating again Mike Boone outdoors in direction of the left sideline, which supplies Stroud a little bit of a pre-snap indicator. He sees cornerback Zyon McCollum slide over in response, which supplies Stroud a touch that the Buccaneers could possibly be in zone protection.

Because the play begins, that trace is confirmed, as Tampa Bay drops into Quarters. With Dell operating a Bang-8 publish route, he’ll get the leverage benefit over the cornerback, who’s enjoying him with outdoors leverage. Simply as Dell is popping out of his break, Stroud rips the throw, placing it simply over the outstretched arms of the defender for the landing.

Ball placement.

Nonetheless, Stroud’s skill to place throws the place he needed to was a power popping out of Ohio State, one that the majority evaluators praised Stroud for when he was a prospect. Maybe the largest query mark going through Stroud popping out of school was how he would fare below stress within the pocket.

It was a query that Stroud thought he put to relaxation together with his efficiency in opposition to Georgia. Underneath duress virtually all recreation lengthy by the most effective defenses in current school soccer historical past, Stroud had the most effective video games of his Ohio State profession, and put the Buckeyes in place to try a game-winning subject aim late.

Nonetheless, questions over whether or not that was a one-off efficiency, or one thing that Stround might replicate on the subsequent stage, lingered.

“I didn’t do it lots in school and I really feel like I ought to have. It’s one thing I do remorse. I really feel like I might have performed it much more,” mentioned Stroud on the Mix when requested about utilizing his athleticism at Ohio State.

“However I believe if you activate the movie and you actually watch what I do, and you actually have a look at movie recreation to recreation, I’ve used my athleticism not solely simply within the Georgia recreation the place I did it lots. I’ve performed it in each different recreation,” added Stroud on the time. “I’ve had powerful third-down runs. I’ve had powerful fourth-down runs. However there have been instances I didn’t run the ball when perhaps I ought to have. I really feel like that’s one thing that I discovered and that’s what soccer is about. It’s about stepping again as much as the plate and going again and dealing arduous and fixing these issues. That’s one thing I plan to repair and I’ll present them my athleticism.

“I’ve performed it earlier than on movie, however since individuals don’t assume I can do it, I’m going to do it once more.”

He definitely has been.

Take considered one of his first completions from Sunday, as he connects with tight finish Dalton Schultz on this boot-action idea:

Or what about this completion to Noah Brown, as he bails the pocket to his proper and finds his receiver with a defender draped throughout him:

One other nice instance of Stroud utilizing his athleticism on Sunday in opposition to Tampa Bay? This large third-down conversion from the third quarter. Watch as Stroud bails the pocket to his left, after which calmly creates house and time to seek out Schultz working in direction of the fitting facet of the sphere:

If you happen to had been in search of a play that maybe sums Stroud up finest, it could be this reference to Brown from the fourth quarter. Houston runs a play-action idea with Stroud working below middle, and as he comes out of the run pretend he picks up Brown working from right-to-left on a deep crossing route. However he additionally has stress off the left edge. Watch as Stroud deftly climbs the pocket to keep away from the stress earlier than making an ideal throw, simply out of attain of the closest defender:

Stroud has been incredible this season, past simply the Tampa Bay recreation, and consequently the Texans have greater than hope for the longer term.

They’ve hope for the current.

In any case, following Sunday’s win the Texans are actually 4-4, already nicely forward of the place individuals anticipated them to be this season. They sit tenth within the convention, simply outdoors the playoffs in the meanwhile, however with numerous winnable video games left on schedule there’s a path not simply to a successful report, however a playoff berth.

Positive, it’s a longshot, however should you had been to return to August and inform Texans followers they’d be right here come November, I’d enterprise a guess they’d take that in a heartbeat.

Or perhaps, simply perhaps, these followers may need anticipated this.

As a result of perhaps they listened to Stroud when he informed us this was coming.