Are teams lower on CJ Stroud than we think?

Lance Zierlein said today on Twitter that the Houston Texans are trying to trade out of the number two pick. That obviously means, if Zierlein (who is pretty plugged into things with the Texans) is correct, that the Texans aren’t high enough on CJ Stroud to take him with the second overall pick. That could make things really interesting on draft night.

The Texans would have a couple of options if they don’t go with Stroud:

1. As Zierlein says, they could look to trade out of the pick. I can’t see a scenario where they would trade the pick to the Titans or the Colts. Who else could be looking to trade up for a quarterback, Stroud or otherwise there? The leader in the clubhouse would probably be the Las Vegas Raiders.
2. They could “stick and pick” and take a defensive player like Will Anderson. I’m all for whatever means the Texans don’t get a franchise quarterback.

What we do know is that your Tennessee Titans are going to have the most possible information about Stoud. Mike Vrabel and Ryan Day go way back. They would seem to have the type of relationship where Day would give Vrabel his honest assessment of Stroud.

The Arizona Cardinals will be the most popular team in the world if the Texans don’t take a quarterback. We are just under two weeks away. It’s going to be a fun night!