How much differently would the 2023 NFL draft have begun if it were the Houston Texans, not the Carolina Panthers, who moved up to the first overall position? In the opinion of one of the best reporters to ever do it, the top pick would have been the same.
John McClain, a 47-year veteran of the Houston Chronicle and a Pro Football Hall of Fame scribe, joined Steve Wyche and James Palmer for Monday’s episode of The NFL Report. When speaking about the meteoric rise of rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, the retired Texans beat writer had an interesting take.
“I think—and they’ll never admit this—if they had the No. 1 pick, [the Texans] would’ve taken Bryce Young, even though there were a lot of people out there who had Stroud rated over Bryce Young,” McClain said. “And they didn’t hesitate to take [Stroud] second overall. They never paid any attention to the S2 Cognition Test; they don’t subscribe to it. They only went by what they saw, and DeMeco [Ryans] played a big role in it.”
Luckily for Houston, those reported results from the S2 Cognition Test haven’t had any weight on Stroud’s sensational start. The No. 2 pick has firmly entrenched himself in the Most Valuable Player conversation, as he’s passed for a league-leading 291.8 yards per game, 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions while leading the Texans to a 5-4 mark.
The season, however, hasn’t been nearly as smooth for the team that did take Young atop the draft. The Panthers sit at an NFL-worst 1-8 record while the top selection has averaged 195.0 passing yards per contest with eight scores and seven picks.
