Go around the New Orleans Saints locker room -- and the NFL, for that matter -- and you'll hear high praise for Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.
The No. 2 pick in the draft has his upstart squad at 2-3 under rookie head coach DeMeco Ryans, and in the process he's set a new NFL record for pass attempts to start a career with an interception. All that said, the Saints defense should still be licking its chops to get after another rookie, as Bobby Hebert explained on SportsTalk this week.
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“You’ve got to get after him," Hebert said. "You have to influence the quarterback to make him uneasy."
The stats certainly are impressive for Stroud, with 1,461 yards at 7 TDs while completing 61.3% of his passes. He led a long, go-ahead drive for a touchdown with 1:49 remaining in Week 5 against the Falcons, and was standing on the sideline as Atlanta drove into field goal range for a game-winning field goal as time expired.
The Saints defense has fared -- mostly -- well this season against rookie QBs or first-year starters, holding rookie Bryce Young to just 153 yards passing in Week 2 and shutting out Jordan Love and the Packers through three quarters before the wheels fell off. They also shut down Mac Jones and the Patriots offense completely in a 34-0 shutout a week ago. With Marcus Maye back in the fold after a three-game suspension, the Saints will be better equipped to disguise their looks and coverages to see if they can finally confuse the former Buckeye, who will be without another standout rookie in WR Tank Dell due to a discussion.
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At the end of the day it's the pressure that could have the biggest impact, though, with Stroud not having been sacked since a Week 2 loss to the Colts. The Saints also have some familiarity with Stroud, having faced him and the Texans in the preseason finale, with the rookie leading the first two drives.
"He’s playing at a high level," Hebert said. "He’s not playing like a rookie. We’ve still got to give him the business.”