Examining C.J. Stroud's self-perception ahead of 2026

There are two proclamations that Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud made about himself early in his playing career that are being brought back to light after his performances in the 2025 AFC playoffs.

The first was his pre-draft self-analysis that presented him as a "ball placement specialist," while the second was a declaration to the NFL world that he was a "top-five quarterback" after his first year in the league. Let's take a look at the implications of both, and how he's fared in the NFL since then.

"I'm a ball placement specialist (Pre-draft, 2023)

Before being drafted by the Houston Texans with the second-overall pick in the 2023 draft, Stroud took to the podium and gave an assessment of his game.

Included in his speech was the declaration that he himself was a "ball-placement specialist", meaning he was highly proficient in delivering the ball with accuracy and care.

“I think I’m a playmaker, I’m very creative. And I think I’m very smart when it comes to protections because I solve a lot of issues before they’re even there. That’s something I pride myself on,” Stroud stated.

He continued, "One thing about me is I’m a ball placement specialist. I like to be very accurate. I don’t want my receivers to have to do really anything to catch the ball. And I think I’ve shown that time after time on film.”

Looking at the numbers from his prolific two years as Ohio State's starting quarterback (2021-2022), he was 100% accurate in his claim. His stat line:

• 2021: 317/441 (71.9 %), 4,435 yards (369.6 YPG), 44 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 186.6 rating
• 2022: 258/389 (66.3 %), 3,688 yards (283.7 YPG), 41 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 177.7 rating
• Total: 575/830 (69.1 %), 8,123 yards (326.65 YPG), 85 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 182.15 rating

Not only was he accurate in college, but he put up gargantuan numbers to couple with his pinpoint precision. Stroud was not a dinker and dunker at Ohio State, but a multi-level passer that understood when to be aggressive and when to take the conservative approach.

Fast forward to his third NFL offseason, and his recent performances would call into question that which used to be accepted as fact. Granted, the difficulty level of NFL play should pose a problem for the young quarterback to have to solve.

But, there have been multiple times when, independent of an opposing team's defensive impact or the offensive capabilities of his teammates, inaccurate passes and low situational awareness have plagued him in the biggest of moments.

You might've heard by now, but most recently, Stroud was responsible for five interceptions total against both the Pittsburgh Steelers (1) and New England Patriots (4) in the AFC playoffs (one of the worst stretches of individual performance in NFL history).

That's just the most extreme case. As a regular season player, Stroud has performed admirably, but not like one of the 10 most accurate passers overall in the game.

His regular season rankings since 2023 (completion % and INTs):

2023:
- 63.9 % completion (22nd among starting quarterbacks)
- 5 interceptions (career best)

2024:
- 63.2 % completion (26th among starting quarterbacks)
- 12 interceptions (career worst)

2025:
- 64.5% (career best) (20th among starting quarterbacks)
- 8 interceptions

Stroud is not against airing out the football every now and again, which definitely impacts his accuracy numbers. Relying on downfield passes and throwing through multiple sets of defender gloves is not the most sustainable form of quarterbacking, which is exactly what has gotten Stroud into trouble at times. Instead of taking check downs when necessary, he forces bad balls that have increasingly ended up in the hands of opposing defensive backs.

When he's in rhythm and layering the ball from short to intermediate comfortably, Stroud can spin the ball with the best of them. He has to return to the fundamentals of his game instead of trying to play "hero ball" all the time. Until then, the jury will remain out on his self proclaimed title of "ball placement specialist".

"I'm a top-five quarterback" (Million Dollaz Worth of Game Podcast, 2024)

After the 2023 regular season, Stroud appeared on an episode of the "Million Dollaz worth of game" podcast and gave his answer for who he thought the top-five quarterbacks were in the NFL at the time. He went Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, himself, Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts.

While he continuously prefaced that he was picking from 2023's results alone, the sentiment still caught many by surprise, as it showed a supreme confidence and boldness about where he ranked amongst the league's elite after only his first season.

After this year's collapse in the AFC playoffs, people are revisiting comments like that and are now picking them apart as being an example of a young player's over-confidence due to over achieving in year one. Stroud has not been able to replicate the excellence of his rookie season, and now many are questioning if Stroud is even a top-20 level quarterback.

Stroud has shown that he has the talent to compete with any passer at the position, but now he's at the place where he must reinvent himself in order to adapt to a variety of defenses that are now specifically designed to take away his greatest strengths. Until then, he needs to leave any rankings alone and simply focus on developing his craft.