LEXINGTON — Lexington graduate Cade Stover received his call to the NFL on Saturday afternoon, and he’ll be welcomed by an old teammate.
The Houston Texans traded up with the Philadelphia Eagles to draft Stover with the 123rd pick overall, the 23rd selection in the fourth round. The pick belonged to Philadelphia, but the Texans traded their fourth-rounder, which was 127th overall, and a fifth-rounder in 2025, to get him.
“I’m just excited to help this team any way I can,” Stover said in a statement from the Texans. “I feel like I’m battle-tested and I’m ready to go.”
According to Spotrac, Ohio’s 2018 Mr. Football will sign a four-year rookie deal worth approximately $4.775 million.
Because he was a fourth-round pick, Stover’s contract won’t come with a fifth-year option for the Texans. Translation: Unless Houston extends or re-signs him, he’ll become a free agent after the 2027 season.
Stover reunites with former Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud. The two were close in college, and this destination was predicted by some.
Stover had a formal meeting with the Texans at the combine and a couple of zoom calls with the team in the pre-daft process. He also maintained a consistent dialogue with Stroud this past year.
His only other in-person visit was with the Bengals, he said. Stroud’s presence with the Texans made this a good fit for him, he said.
“It’s just such an honor to play with C.J. again,” the 6-foot-4, 247-pounder said in a conference call with the Texans’ media broadcast on YouTube. “He’s an awesome human and even a better teammate. They’ve got something special going on down there.
“Lot of emotions that I don’t know how to put in words.”
NFL odyssey
Stover offered a brief statement for the Texans on Twitter, too, and made all the media rounds in Texas through a variety of social media outlets.
Both Stover and his mom expressed hope this would be his landing spot, although many predicted it would come a round earlier. The two-time Buckeye captain and Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year was projected as the 72nd overall player in the draft, yet fell 50 spots lower.
One can’t help but wonder if Stroud influenced the pick. He served alongside Stover as a captain at Ohio State in 2022, the latter’s first year as a starter at tight end. The Lex standout had 36 catches for 406 yards (11.3 yards per catch) and five touchdowns for the Buckeyes that season with Stroud at quarterback.
Stover improved those numbers in 2023, snagging 41 receptions for 576 yards (14 ypc.) and five TDs. He was named the Big Ten’s Tight End of the Year.
Stover said Saturday that Stroud came up from Texas to throw with him the night before the former’s Pro Day at Ohio State.
For his part, Stroud is coming off a monster rookie season in Houston and was the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year after leading the Texans to the playoffs.
“It was no surprise to me, or anybody in that Ohio State facility,” Stover said of Stroud. “We knew that dude was special and when he got the chance to be put with the right people and the right coaching staff, the dude’s unbelievable.”
Stover has played all over the football field.
He led the Ohio Cardinal Conference in tackles as a high school freshman from his safety spot, and later moved to linebacker (163 tackles and four interceptions as a senior). On offense, he also played running back (gaining 1,477 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior) and dabbled at quarterback.
A fine all-around athlete who excelled on the hardwood, too, Stover led the Minutemen to the Final Four as a junior and broke the school’s basketball career scoring record.
Conference call
A pure football player, Stover may make his greatest impact as a rookie on special teams.
“I’ll do whatever we’ve gotta do to win ball games,” Stover told the Texans’ media on a conference call. “I’ve been pulled in a million different directions … nothing’s ever gone how it’s supposed to on pen and paper in my life, in my playing career.
“I’m just planning on playing as long as I can.”
Stover said his all-around sports background, and experience playing on both sides of the ball, and at multiple positions, should help him in the NFL.
“(The Texans) are getting a complete utility player. Basically, I’m going to do whatever they ask me to do at 100 percent, every single time,” the 23-year-old Stover said. “I’m going to be the glue in the locker room. I’m going to be the dude people can come to when things go wrong.
“I’m just excited to help this team any way I can.”
Stover figures to slot in behind Dalton Schultz, the Texans starting tight end who caught 59 passes last year for 635 yards (10.8 avg.) and 5 touchdowns.
“I think Dalton Schultz is a great player. I’ve watched a lot of his film growing up,” Stover said. “In the last couple of years I’ve studied a lot of the things he does — especially when he was on the Cowboys.
“Just to be able to learn from a guy like that and take notes and tips, how he handles his life and everything, it’s going to be awesome for right now and down the road.”
Stover’s abilities as an athlete were showcased as perhaps Ohio State’s best receiving tight end in decades. But some have questioned his ability as a blocker, a trait he’s having to learn on the fly.
“I love blocking, I do,” Stover said, acknowledging he was starting on that skill from the ground level just a couple of years ago. “I’m going to throw my face into the fire every chance I get.
“It may not always be pretty but I promise you (that) you’re always going to get every ounce of power I’ve got.”
Stover said his long background on defense may turn into a benefit as a tight end with the Texans.
“I still see the game through a defensive lens, it helps me slow things down a little bit more,” he said.