The Houston Texans surprised some people when they selected Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. They did an excellent job of hiding their intentions as many analysts believed they would target a pass rusher with the second pick.

They ended up coming away with that as well, as they made a blockbuster trade with the Arizona Cardinals to land the No. 3 overall pick. With that pick, they selected Alabama’s star pass rusher, Will Anderson.

With franchise cornerstones now in place on both sides of the ball, the Texans can start their climb back to respectability. New head coach DeMeco Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio are on the same page and finally have a plan in place for the franchise to follow.

Part of that plan was bringing in a few established veterans this offseason to help raise the team’s floor. One of those veterans is wide receiver, Noah Brown. Brown saw an increased role with the Dallas Cowboys in 2022 and took full advantage. 

He recorded career-highs in receptions, yardage and touchdowns with a 43/555/3 split in 16 games. There is an opportunity for the Texans to surpass even those numbers as his targets could increase with Brandin Cooks no longer on the roster.

Brown also had some bold claims to make about Stroud. He believes the Texans’ franchise quarterback has the potential to be as good, if not better, than his previous starting quarterback, Dak Prescott.

“They’re both great quarterbacks — great arm talent,” Brown said, via Coty Davis of SI.com. “That’s a great class to be in. I think he has all the potential to live up to that, maybe even surpass it. So, you know, I’m rooting for C.J., and I’m willing to have his back on anything.

“I know C.J. has great arm talent,” Brown said. “The little bit of time I’ve been here working with him, he’s picked up the offense fast, taken ownership of his reps. I think that can only lead to positive things.” (H/T ProFootballTalk)

If the Texans are being honest, they are likely banking on Stroud becoming better than Prescott. No team would be thrilled with the No. 2 pick in the draft making two Pro Bowls with a 2-4 postseason record in their first seven seasons in the league.

Houston is hoping for more than that with Stroud leading the way and rightfully so. The former Buckeye lit up college football the last two seasons and the Texans are going to do everything in their power to put him in position to replicate that success in the NFL.