C.J. Stroud 'Has All The Tools!' Texans Rookie QB Gets Patriots Praise in Win

After intercepting Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud on his first professional drive, New England Patriots defensive back Jalen Mills offers words of encouragement to the rookie passer.

By all accounts, Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud likely envisioned his first drive in the NFL going quite a bit differently than it actually played out.

Given the start in Houston's 20-9 victory over the New England Patriots to kick off the preseason, Stroud began the game with an eight-yard completion and a pair of hand-offs to running back Devin Singletary.

But then, in the following three plays, Stroud took a 15-yard sack, scrambled for a gain of four, and tossed an interception into the waiting hands of Patriots defensive back Jalen Mills.

CJ Stroud interception on his first preseason drive and boy it’s an ugly one pic.twitter.com/3fTM0W8uve

— J&D Productions (@JDProdNFL) August 10, 2023

Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick in April's draft, came back out for the next drive, which lasted five plays and ended with a punt. He finished the night with two completions on four attempts, passing for 13 yards and running for six more.

After the game, Texans coach DeMeco Ryans described Stroud's performance as "fine," noting it was good to have ups-and-downs and he liked the way his young quarterback responded to the early adversity.

As for the interception, Ryans stated that Stroud was "probably a little bit late" with the pass, but also gave credit to Mills for making a "really nice play" on the ball.

On the other side of the stadium, Mills returned the kind words with praise for Stroud, revealing to the media what he told the former Ohio State star on the field after the game.

“You’ve got all the tools - believe in yourself, keep working hard. You've got it," Mills said, via Fox Sports, before adding that Stroud is "going to be a really, really good player."

Stroud explained his side of the interception postgame, noting that he forced the decision but felt he threw a good pass and gave credit to Mills, per SportsTalk790.

"I should've checked it down to (tight end Dalton) Schultz, but it was a great play by (Mills)," Stroud said. "He was kind of hiding out (and I) didn't see him. Put it in my back pocket and learn from it."

And so, while Stroud certainly had higher hopes for his first NFL appearance, he learned quite a bit - and that, along with the opportunity to make mistakes without many implications, is what the preseason is all about, in Ryans' eyes.

Now, the goal becomes taking the information and getting better, with Stroud and the Texans setting their sights on a progress-filled preseason before starting the regular season on Sept. 10 against the Baltimore Ravens.

You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @ByDanielFlick

Want the latest in breaking and insider news for the Houston Texans? Click Here

Follow Texans Daily on Twitter and Facebook

Make sure to subscribe to our daily podcast @LockedOnTexans today! Click here To Listen.

Want even more Houston Texans news? Check out the SI.com team page here.