Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud throws a pick to end his first NFL drive

There are a lot of great college quarterbacks who need to take a minute before they’re ready for the speed and complexity of the NFL, and that’s no damning indictment. That’s good news in a sense for Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, who threw an interception to end his first NFL drive

Stroud started with a short pass to Nico Collins, then handed the ball off twice to Devin Singletary, then took a 15-yard sack, and maybe that rattled him a bit. Because then, facing third-and-21 from his own 25-yard line with 11:31 left in the first quarter, Stroud missed cornerback Jalen Mills, who had gained pole position over rookie receiver Nathaniel “Tank” Dell.

This was the result.

That’s not to say that Stroud doesn’t have a ton of potential — it’s just that the NFL is a different beast.