4 things we need to see from C.J. Stroud this season to justify his Top 5 status

C.J. Stroud had a dominant season in 2023. The second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft led the Houston Texans to a winning record, a playoff birth, the AFC South championship, and a playoff win. All while earning a Pro Bowl nod for his work. To say he had a once-in-a-lifetime rookie season would be an understatement.

Now, people are listing him in the top 10, and even the top five, quarterbacks currently in the NFL. It may be too soon for that, but an argument can be made for his spot among the current crop of great quarterbacks. Yet, the young star needs to do a few more things to fully entrench himself as a top-five option.

The same or fewer interceptions

It's a near impossibility for C.J. Stroud to repeat the success of his rookie year when it comes to turnovers. He passed 499 times and threw just five to the wrong team. That's 1 percent of his passes that went to the other team. Fans can, at times, get a little too dogged on how many turnovers a guy has. Josh Allen threw 18 interceptions but against nearly 600 passes. That's not bad. At all.

Asking Stroud to only throw five interceptions against possibly 550-600 passes is a ridiculous request. We know that. Still, if he's going to cement himself in the truly elite level of quarterbacks, he must do truly elite things.