Houston Texans' C.J. Stroud Opens Up About Carolina Panthers 'Brother' Bryce Young

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud were selected with the first and second overall picks in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young went viral during the 2023 NFL Draft process not just for their talent, but because they were pre-college friends that were eventually selected with the first and second overall picks.

Stroud and Young were all but guaranteed to be selected within the first couple of picks due to their performances at Ohio State and Alabama. Stroud was a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist, while Young won the prestigious award in 2021.

The two rookies will face each other in the NFL for the first time on Sunday, and Stroud opened up about his relationship with Young during Wednesday's press conference.

"That's my brother, man," Stroud said. "He's someone I have a lot of respect for and I've known him since middle school. We got really close right after high school and we always rooted for each other."

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) and Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) / FanStreamSports.com

Stroud explained that this won't be the first time in their lives that the two of them will go head-to-head though, as the first battle didn't work out in the future Texan's favor.

"I don't think we were friends at the time when we played each other in seventh or eighth grade, but they put it to us," Stroud said. "I remember we played in the rain, he had a really good game and I played terrible. This will be our second time playing each other besides in 7-on-7s."

Now that they'll reunite on the gridiron once again, Stroud is "blessed" that their families became close with each other throughout the journey to the top.

"It's really cool to know that we're from the same area, as we grew up knowing each other and our parents did too," Stroud said. "Our moms are really close and our dads knew each other. It's cool to see someone's journey from high school to college to the league and it's a blessing to have a brother like him."