Stroud gesture made feelings clear as Bryce Young was picked first in NFL Draft

28 April 2023 , 00:51

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Stroud and Young shared an embrace when the No.1 pick was announced (Image: NFL Network)

This year's NFL Draft was all about the quarterbacks and it was Bryce Young picked first overall.

Young and CJ Stroud started the pre-draft process as the two leading quarterback prospects whilst Will Levis and Anthony Richardson also generated plenty of buzz. But it was Young and Stroud who were the first two names called by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Despite not being the top pick, Stroud was one of the first people to go over to Young and congratulate his fellow prospect. Whilst they were competing with each other in the draft process, they have a "super close" relationship dating back to middle school.

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And it was evident from his genuine reaction that Stroud was happy to see Young taken first, just moments before hearing his own name called by the Houston Texans.

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“Yeah, for sure. Me and CJ are super close,” Young revealed earlier this month on ESPN. “I’ve known him since middle school, and that’s someone I’m really close with, on and off the field. So yeah, we definitely talk about it a lot. We work out together, so we see each other all the time, and you know, it’s really a blessing for me, to be able to have someone like CJ that I’m super close with. We’re able to share this process together.

“Again, it’s something that’s once in a lifetime, something that you only go through once, and for us to be in similar situations and to go through this together, it’s really beneficial, especially for me.”

Stroud gesture made feelings clear as Bryce Young was picked first in NFL Draft

Bryce Young was picked first overall by the Carolina Panthers

After being picked second overall by the Texans, Stroud got visibly emotional after a "lot of hard work" to get to this point.

Stroud said: "First and foremost, I have to always give my lord and saviour all the credit. Jesus Christ, without him I wouldn't be here, that's the reason I'm here."

Asked what he'll bring to his new team, he said: "I bring me. I bring a man of god, I bring a leader. I bring somebody who's going to go to work every day and work their tail off.

"Someone who comes from a winning tradition, someone who wants to win, that's all I care about. I'm going to be the best teammate and best leader I can be."

Reacting to being taken first overall, Young said: "It's still crazy. It's a blessing. I'm super grateful to be here, I'm super grateful for the blessings from god for allowing me to be here. I'm grateful for all the people that allow me to do it.

"As amazing as this moment is, and I'm going to try to live in the moment, I can't wait to get to work tomorrow and start building off of that."

"I'm going to give everything to the franchise, to the organization, to the coaches. They believed in me, they drafted me, and I'm forever indebted for that.

"Everything I have. Preparation, not just on Sunday's but through the entire week, I'm going to give it my all."