Stroud, a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist as the best player in college football, enjoyed a standout career at Ohio State before entering the draft. Confirmation that the 21-year-old will be Houston‘s Week 1 quarterback means all three signal-callers selected in the top five of the 2023 draft are already QB1 for their respective teams, with Stroud joining Bryce Young in Carolina and Anthony Richardson in Indianapolis as rookie starters this season.

The first test of Stroud‘s NFL career will come against a 2022 playoff team in Baltimore. Houston will not be favored to win this game on the road, where the Texans recorded all three of their wins in 2022.

The Ravens annually have one of the league’s stingiest defenses — but without injured star cornerback Marlon Humphrey, their vulnerable pass defense will be without one of its key cogs to begin the new season. If Stroud can engineer an early-season upset at M&T Bank Stadium, excitement in Houston over the Texans’ future will be palpable.