INDIANAPOLIS — Teams picking atop the NFL draft generally aren’t in great places for the near future. Politely known as “rebuilds,” these franchises typically post double-digit losing seasons while attempting to get out of the morass of underachievement in the league.
The Houston Texans have been one of those teams since 2020 when they posted a 4-12 record and underwent a general manager search, coaching search, and endured a divorce with their franchise quarterback.
Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud stated at the NFL combine Friday the concept of a rebuild is “not really foreign” to him, even though the last rebuild he took part of was in high school at Rancho Cucamonga, California.
“I know that’s a long time ago and it’s not as big as the NFL, but it’s something that kind of prepared me a little bit for this,” Stroud said. “Being at a place like Ohio State, they prepare you for things like that. It’s not always going to be — the grass is not always going to be green on the other side. That’s something that Coach [Ryan] Day consistently tells you.”
The Buckeyes hardly embodied a rebuild during Stroud’s tenure under center. Ohio State went 22-4 with Stroud and were a missed field goal away from toppling Georgia to play in the CFP National Championship Game in 2022.
If Stroud goes to a rebuild like the Texans, he won’t be afraid, but rather emboldened.
Said Stroud: “I definitely think if I do get put in a situation like that, then I’m going to try to go in there with complete confidence and remain humble and go to work. Because I think at the end of the day, trying to flip a script and trying to build something, trying to build something, not just a rebuild, but build a franchise and build a dynasty, that’s what I want to do, and it takes hard work and it takes consistency. So, that’s something I’m willing to do.”
“If I do get put in a situation like that, I am just going to try and go in there with complete confidence and remain humble,” said QB C.J. Stroud when I asked him about being drafted by a team going through a rebuild process. #Sarge @CJ7STROUD @TheTexansWire @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/NzKnTs4UN7
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) March 3, 2023
The Texans pick at No. 2 overall in April’s draft.
