C.J. Strouds NFL start by the numbers Texans rookie QB impresses over

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There were plenty who believed C.J. Stroud would be the first quarterback taken in the 2023 NFL Draft. Instead, Bryce Young went first overall to the Panthers, and Stroud went second overall to the Texans. Through three games, Houston has to be feeling good with its franchise signal-caller.Stroud has been lighting it up through the first three games of the season, with the Texans picking up their first win with him under center on Sunday in a 37-17 rout of the reigning AFC South champion Jaguars.The Texans might have previously been in a spot to take Young. It took a Week 18 win over the Colts that bumped the Texans from the first overall pick to the second spot. And moving down that one spot in the draft changed the trajectory of the franchise."The best thing that happened to the Houston Texans' franchise was us beating the Indianapolis George Karlaftis Jersey  Colts last game, last year," Jordan told ESPN. "We drafted the right guy. Man, he's a leader. He's a phenomenal player and a phenomenal guy with God-given talent. Dude, he's Tyrann Mathieu Jersey  unbelievable."MORE: Expectations for the Texans remain tempered, with the team widely expected to be more likely in contention for the No. 1 overall pick than the Super Bowl. But what Stroud has shown so far has helped first-year coach DeMeco Ryans feel confident in the franchise building block under center."Sky is the limit for C.J.," Ryans said, per ESPN. "He just keeps his head down and keeps working. C.J. is a very humble young man. Everything starts with the quarterback, and we have a good one who's doing really good things. He's improved every week. And that's what I like and admire about C.J. is he's dialed into improvement every week. He's not satisfied. He's been a leader for us as an offensive unit, and it's impre sive to  Devon Key Jersey see a young man continue to get better each week and lead that group."Stroud's numbers have impre sed each week. Here's a look at some of his historic stats through his first three starts.Total pa sing yardsStroud threw for 280 yards against the Jaguars on Sunday, pushing his season total up to 906. That number pushes Stroud into elite company, making him only the third quarterback in NFL history to exceed 900 pa sing yards over his first three career starts, behind only Cam Newton (1,012) and Justin Herbert (931), .That total puts Stroud ahead of players like Patrick Mahomes (866), Andrew Luck (846) and Joe Burrow (821).240+ yard gamesStroud has been able to rack up that impre sive total with remarkable consistency to start his career. He pa sed for 242 yards against the Ravens in Week 1, 384 yards against the Colts in Week 2 and 280 yards against the Jaguars in Week 3.Having gone Derrick Gore Jersey  three-for-three in games of at least 240 pa sing yards in each of his first three contests, he joins Mahomes and Herbert as the only players to do so, . Stroud is also the only quarterback of those three to not have thrown any interceptions.Single-game receiving yardsWhen Stroud faced off against the Colts, he pa sed for 384 yards. That total ranks as the 18th-most in a . The record belongs to Marc Bulger, who had 453.What might be most impre sive, however, is the combination of Stroud's lack of NFL experience with his age. That 384-yard performance trails only against the Browns on Nov. 22, 2009, among players 21 years old or younger.InterceptionsStroud hasn't been afraid to uncork the ball over the field. He has attempted 121 pa ses, which is tied for the 16th-most for a rookie quarterback through their first three games. But while he's thrown the ball often, he has yet to turn the ball over.With his interception-le s streak, to attempt at least 60 pa ses through their first three games without throwing an interception.Stroud will also head into Week 4 with a chance to continue a historic run. He is only the 10th quarterback to start their career with three straight games without an interception, . The record is five consecutive games, held by Desmond Ridder and Dak Prescott. Only those two quarterbacks Deandre Baker Jersey  attempted more pa ses during their respective streaks that Stroud has, and they both had already played two more games.