The Facts: Receiver Noah Brown spent six seasons in Dallas playing with Dak Prescott. Brown, though, now is in Houston with a rookie quarterback in Stroud, and sees some of Prescott’s qualities in Stroud already. “They’re both great quarterbacks — great arm talent,” Brown said, via Coty Davis of SI.com. “That’s a great class to be in. I think he has all the potential to live up to that, maybe even surpass it. So, you know, I’m rooting for C.J., and I’m willing to have his back on anything.”

Diehards Line:It's not a reach to say the Texans and Stroud should have expectations for Stroud to be better than Prescott. Stroud was the second overall pick. Prescott was a fourth rounder in 2016. Brown was long gone from Ohio State when Stroud played there, but he watched enough of Stroud’s games and talked to enough people in Columbus to see great things in the quarterback’s future. And Stroud didn’t do anything in the offseason program to suggest otherwise. “I know C.J. has great arm talent,” Brown said. “The little bit of time I’ve been here working with him, he’s picked up the offense fast, taken ownership of his reps. I think that can only lead to positive things.” Stroud finished his college career with 8,123 passing yards, a 69.3 completion percentage, 85 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.