There is no doubt that over the last 18 months the NFL team in Houston has been through the ringer. In that time they have seen David Culley become Lovie Smith then Demeco Ryans. Now, we believe Ryans is the right choice to right the ship for the Texans. However, time will tell. They now face the choice of what to do with the number 2 overall pick in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft.
Most pundits are beginning to say that Bryce Young from Alabama will end up being the choice for the Panthers. Which is leaves them with CJ Stroud as the next and most likely option at 2. There is a feeling however, that Houston may pass on the Ohio State product. Why?
Now certainly these comments were stunning to many NFL fans. Of course Watson was the quarterback that forced himself out of the Texans organization claiming he wanted a black NFL coach. The Texans hired a black coach in David Culley and Watson still demanded a trade that eventually sent him to the Cleveland Browns. Along the way it became public that Watson was being sued by 25 different women claiming sexual misconduct during massage sessions. The Texans themselves were punished by the NFL for enabling such alleged behavior.
So how does this cause pause with Stroud? Outside of the above comments about admiring Watson. Watson and CJ Stroud share the same agent.
“Agent David Mulugheta will be representing C. J. Stroud, a popular and promising 2023 NFL draft prospect. Also a lawyer, Mulugheta is also representing 42 other NFL players, including Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.” Credit: https://www.sportskeeda.com/nfl/news-houston-touching-cj-c-j-stroud-represented-deshaun-watson-s-agent-raises-concern-nfl-fans
As you can imagine the Texans may have SERIOUS issues with having to deal with the same agent that helped DeShaun Watson out of Houston previously. The fear would be if Stroud gets disgruntled with a rebuilding team will he force his way out of the Texans organization.
Obviously, with a struggling team with a lot of holes the Texans could stick with Davis Mills and Case Keenum then look to add a Will Anderson or Jalen Carter for their defense.
NFL.com Draft Insider Lance Zierlein echoed the issue with the agent and Deshaun Watson. Zierlein believes with the Texans having given Watson a MASSIVE contract then him forcing his way out of town may lead some in the organization to believe this could happen again with Stroud. Credit: https://houston.sportsmap.com/houston-texans-stroud-bryce-mulugheta
The jury is still out whether Houston will grab Stroud or another quarterback. We will continue to watch this interesting process play out.
