C.J. Stroud Thinks He's A Top 3 QB In The NFL Based On Last Year's Performance, And He's Not Wrong

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud believes he’s already a top three signal-caller, and I can’t blame him.

Rapper Gillie Da Kid posted a teaser of Stroud’s appearance on the "Million Dollaz Worth of Game" podcast, in which he listed the top five quarterbacks in the NFL based on their performance in 2023.

Most of the time, when athletes are asked to make these kinds of lists, they will put themselves way higher than they should (see Jayson Tatum). But this time, Stroud was an exception.

He put Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson at one and two, respectively (both correct choices). Then, he listed himself as the No. 3 quarterback in the NFL, followed by Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts. (He later updated his rankings to put Josh Allen at number four, which put Prescott at 5 and knocked Hurts off the list).

C.J. Stroud Has A Valid Argument For Putting Himself In The Top 3

In all honesty, I think this is a phenomenal list. He did not enter the year with a star-studded wide receiver room, but still managed to throw for 4,108 yards (eight in the league) and 23 touchdowns (14th).

You might be thinking that given those numbers, he shouldn’t be in the Top 5 at all. However, neither Mahomes nor Jackson were in the Top 5 in passing yards, and Jackson was outside the Top 10 in passing touchdowns. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who would argue those guys aren’t the top two quarterbacks in the league.

Plus, Stroud was a rookie, and he still found a way to get the Texans to a AFC South title and a playoff win. He also showed incredible resilience in clutch situations and at many points in the season played like a five-year veteran.

All things considered, I say that was a pretty solid list. Now that they add Stefon Diggs to the receiver room, who knows what Stroud could do next year?