Houston Texans receiver Noah Brown believes rookie CJ Stroud can ‘surpass’ his former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
Brown played for the Cowboys for six seasons after the NFC East franchise selected him in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones revealed former running back Ezekiel Elliott rallied hard for the franchise to pick Brown after the duo played alongside one another for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Brown’s connection to Ohio State will continue even after departing Dallas for Houston this offseason. The 27-year-old is looking to establish a connection with former Buckeye Stroud, who the Texans spent the second overall pick on back in April.
Last season, Brown found form with career highs in receptions (43), receiving yards (555) and touchdowns (3) with Prescott leading the offence. While he admitted it may be too early to compare Stroud to an established NFL quarterback like Prescott, Brown is confident the rookie can make substantial strides and perhaps even develop to become better than the two-time Pro Bowler.
“They’re both great quarterbacks - great arm talent,” Brown said, when asked to compare Stroud and Prescott via 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.”
In many ways, perhaps coaches and teammates should expect Stroud to go onto bigger and better things than Prescott given the Cowboys quarterback was a fourth-round draft pick in 2016. Stroud was the second name off the board earlier this year, and theoretically should be a more polished talent.
Ultimately, Prescott won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honours and Texans fans will hope Stroud can follow suit. The 21-year-old has recently spent reps leading the projected starters in and reportedly impressed in two-minute drills after taking over from third-year quarterback Davis Mills.
Brown believes Stroud has all the tools to become an elite quarterback, with the receiver adding: “I know C.J. has great arm talent. 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.”
Stroud finished his college career with 8,123 passing yards, 85 touchdowns and 12 interceptions along with a 69.3 completion rate. Meanwhile, Prescott left Mississippi State with 9.376 passing yards, 70 touchdowns and 23 interceptions on a 62.8 percent completion rate over four years with the Bulldogs.
