STROUD AND CLEAR
Calls for MVP are getting louder. Is C.J. Stroud having the best rookie quarterback season ever?
.J. Stroud isn’t just having a great season for a rookie quarterback. He’s having arguably the best rookie QB season of all time.
CIn 11 starts, he accumulated 3,266 yards, 19 touchdowns (plus three rushing scores) to just five interceptions. at averages out to be more than 5,000 yards and 29 TDs over a full season. He had the best interception percentage in the NFL at the time and ranked second overall in yards. His 101.0 passer rating ranked sixth.
ose aren’t rookie numbers.
Some of the best rookie QB seasons in NFL history belong to Cam Newton (4,051 yards, 21 TDs, 17 INTs), Andrew Luck (4,374 yards, 23 TDs, 18 INTs) and Justin Herbert (4,336 yards, 31 TDs, 10 INTs). Stroud is right up there with them and has a solid grasp on Offensive Rookie of the Year, maybe even NFL MVP honors.
e Houston Texans were 6-5 a er winning just three games last year. Nico Collins was Stroud’s favorite receiver, but he had thrown touchdowns to six different pass catchers. e offense uses a tandem running back combo of Devin Singletary and Dameon Pierce, but 74 percent of the team’s offense came through the air.
Stroud’s best game was Week 9 against Tampa Bay. He was 30 of 42 for 470 yards and five touchdowns (an average of one TD every six completions). ree Houston players had more than 100 yards receiving. He followed that up a week later with 356 yards and a win against the Bengals.
He was the second overall player dra ed a er passing for 8,123 yards and 85 touchdowns in two seasons at Ohio State. He entered the 2019 Elite 11 as a threestar recruit and the 25th-ranked pro style high school quarterback. He was named MVP. Less than a year later he rocketed up to a five-star and the No. 2 quarterback in the 2020 recruiting class. Even entering the NFL, he was a No. 2, but now he’s performing like a league MVP in his first season. A rookie hasn’t won league MVP since Jim Brown in 1957.
“As of today, C.J. Stroud is the favorite to win the MVP, and you’re going to have to go take it from him,” said ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky a er Week 10.
Stroud’s first cards are certainly leading the 2023 rookie class in popularity and value. However, he is likely to have limited autographed cards this year because he, along with Bryce Young, are exclusive to Fanatics for autographs. Panini Chronicles Dra Picks is the most recent Panini product to have his autographs. You won’t find his autos in Immaculate Collection Collegiate, Prizm Dra Picks, Elite, Mosaic, Origins, Luminance or Prestige, which all had hit the market at the time of this writing.
A quick tip on searching for his cards online. Search for “CJ Stroud” instead of “C.J. Stroud” because adding the periods limits search results to only listings with “C.J. Stroud.” We’ll look at some of his top cards plus some of his most unique and bargain options.