To start their respective careers, Victor Wembanyama and Coleridge Bernard “C. J.” Stroud IV have been lighting up the NBA and NFL this past month. In Week 9 of the NFL season, Stroud threw five touchdowns for 470 yards, both record numbers for a rookie quarterback.
It is insane to think about once you put his performance in comparison to other quarterbacks’ best passing games. He made a lot of aggressive throws, especially to rookie wide receiver Tank Dell and veteran tight end Dalton Schultz, down the stretch of a close game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This is not normal for a rookie; to have 14 touchdowns and only one interception halfway through the first season of an NFL career is unheard of. He is going to be special for a very long time.
Wembanyama has been great in starting his NBA career as well. In the first two weeks of the NBA season, Wembanyama has averaged 18.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and around two assists a game, which is about an average stat line for an NBA rookie.
The things that make him special are his shot creation, the fact that he is 7-foot-3 and moves like he is a wing player and his ability to shoot over every player in the league. We saw a glimpse of the type of player Wembanyama can be during the Nov. 2 matchup against the Phoenix Suns. He showed that he could score at all three levels of the court, defend the perimeter against wing players and the rim, and be a playmaker if needed. Once we get deeper into the season, we will see Wembanyama breakout as a rookie, a rare sight in the NBA.
Who has had the more impressive rookie season so far, though? Stroud has been more impressive, simply because rookie quarterbacks in the NFL usually struggle in their first season. Look at guys like Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow and even Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall draft pick this year; they had to face a lot of adversity. Lawrence was dealing with Urban Meyer, who was the worst coach in the NFL in 2021, Burrow tore his ACL in Week 11 of the 2020 season and right now Young has the worst situation around him compared to all the other rookie quarterbacks. Stroud has not struggled as a rookie this year except for one bad game against the Panthers in Week 8.
The NFL is also the harder league to play in compared to the NBA, as it is more physically demanding and requires more out of its players, especially from the quarterback. Do not expect Stroud to throw five touchdowns every other game, but he will be the best quarterback from the 2023 NFL Draft class. Stroud’s rookie season will be one for the history books, for sure, as well as Wembanyama’s. Both of these young stars will be great for a very long time.
