Tank Dell Says C.J. Stroud Can 'Bridge the Gap' with Patrick Mahomes

Entering the 2024-25 season, Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes is firmly entrenched as the NFL's best quarterback. Not many folks would argue against that, whether it's at the local or national level.

The debate normally starts at the No. 2 spot these days, with multiple top contenders battling for position. Despite having completed just one season in the NFL, Houston Texans signal-caller C.J. Stroud is already gunning for a premier ranking on plenty of lists.

According to one of his teammates, there's a chance the former No. 2 overall NFL Draft pick can take Mahomes's spot one day. On a recent episode of I AM ATHLETE's "Behind the Drive" series, wideout Tank Dell explained how Stroud can close the gap between him and Mahomes.

"I for sure feel like C.J.'s got the opportunity to be the best quarterback in the league," Dell said. "It's not me just saying it because [of] who he is to me, but what I'm seeing him do each and every week. What the world sees, they're seeing exactly what we're seeing, man. How he's just coming out there as a 21-year-old man going against grown men out there, just balling every week, how consistent he is. All [of] that just plays a factor.

"I feel like C.J.'s just got to keep doing what he's doing to bridge the gap between him and Mahomes, man. Because, not going to lie, Mahomes [is] special, man. What was it, six years, five Super Bowls, going to the Super Bowl? That's crazy, and there's for sure going to be a lot of work to have to be put in with 7 (Stroud) but I just feel like if he just keeps doing what he's doing, he's on the right path."

C.J. Stroud had an awesome rookie year, but he has a long way to go

It goes without saying that the gap between Mahomes and Stroud is pretty significant right now. After all, the former has three Super Bowl rings on his resume and has multiple MVP awards as well. Additionally, he has a few seasons of production that were more impressive than the one year Stroud has put up thus far. The Ohio State product simply lacks longevity and the awards to surpass Mahomes at this point, but Dell acknowledged doing so will take a ton of personal and team success.

Now that the bad part is out of the way, it's time to give Stroud props for one heck of a rookie season. In 15 starts, he topped the 4,000-yard passing mark and tossed 23 touchdowns to just five interceptions. Posting a 100.8 passer rating and making the Pro Bowl as a first-year player is incredibly difficult to accomplish. Mahomes's 2018 campaign is nothing short of a historical outlier, although he had a year to sit and develop. Stroud was thrown into the fire immediately and led his club to the postseason, which deserves credit.

At the end of the day, there's nothing wrong with Dell having confidence in his quarterback. Every receiver should feel that way about their leader and best teammate. If Stroud comes back in 2024-25 with another excellent effort, he'll likely join the class of players like Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson. That's the company he must first keep before threatening Mahomes's ranking, and that's a compliment to such a young player.

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