NFL Draft 2023 second overall pick CJ Stroud is already calling the shots at the Houston Texans after telling the franchise to sign Houston Cougar wide receiver Tank Dell.
The Texans decided that the Ohio State star would be their franchise quarterback, picking him after Bryce Young went to the Carolina Panthers. Texas stuck to their guns with Stroud despite reporting of poor C2 Cognition test results.
And they’re already showing a lot of faith in the 21-year-old after selecting wide receiver Dell at No.69 overall based on Stroud’s recommendation. The pair got talking at the NFL Combine and began texting, growing an unlikely pre-draft friendship.
“Right after the combine we were texting each other and stuff like that,” third-round pick Dell told KPRC2. “He talked to me after the Combine and was like, ‘boy, I like how you run routes’.
“He says he’s been watching me and stuff like that. I told him vice versa and know that I appreciate him and stuff like that. It was after he got drafted I sent him congrats, and then I was like ‘tell them to come [and] get me’.
“I told him ‘tell them to come [and] get me’ and stuff like that, and he was like ‘I got you’. The next day, he FaceTimed me out of nowhere, and he was like ‘I told them I want you’.”
Stroud and Dell could very well be the dynamic duo the Texans have been searching for, with the quarterback now tasked with finding his new offense team-mate. “I’m very excited,” Dell added, when asked about getting to work with Stroud.
“He is an amazing quarterback. You saw his work of art that he put in at Ohio State, you know, he’s a winner. That’s all he know is win, that’s all I know is win, and you know, we’re competitors so it’s going to be good.”
The Texans finished bottom of the AFC South last term with a record of three wins and 13 losses. They’re also yet to win a Super Bowl, which they’ll be hoping Stroud can deliver.
