C.J. Stroud has been a breath of fresh air for the Houston Texans this season.
The 2023 No. 2 overall draft pick has played better than advertised, finding himself amid the Rookie of the Year conversation.
Stroud has been recognized nationally for his brilliance, which has recently extended beyond the NFL.
He recently attended a Houston Rockets game against the Los Angeles Lakers, where LeBron James embraced him on the court.
CJ7️⃣ 🤝 The King 👑 pic.twitter.com/bZJI38g6UA
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) November 9, 2023
James seemed to recognize Stroud and his greatness thus far, greeting him with a hug and a short conversation.
For a young player like Stroud to embrace James must have been a surreal experience.
Less than a year ago, Stroud was gearing up to enter the NFL Draft, spending some of his final days at Ohio State.
Now, he is a well-respected NFL athlete who has started to turn the Texans franchise around.
Through eight weeks, Stroud and the Texans hold a 4-4 record.
They are well within the playoff picture and are just two games back of the Jacksonville Jaguars for the division lead.
While it might be a difficult road for the Texans to leapfrog the Jaguars at this point in the year, Stroud appears up to the challenge.
He has accepted the rebuilding mentality and is working with his teammates to bring this franchise another playoff berth.
They haven’t experienced great success since Deshaun Watson was traded, but the tides are changing in Houston.
Fans will be interested to see if he can keep up his dominant play throughout the rest of the year to make this dream a reality.
NEXT: Texans GM Reveals What Led The Team To Draft C.J. Stroud
