The Texans need they were going to have a great offense in 2009 so they focused on defense last April.  LB Brian Cushing (1st round, #15 overall) out of USC was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in the NFL in 2009.  Cushing played in all 16 games for the Texans last season and he finished with 134 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 10 passes defensed and 4 interceptions.  He was not only the best pick in the first round of the NFL Draft but he is already one of the best defensive players in the league.  DE Connor Barwin (2nd round, #46 overall) out of Cincinnati has the potential to be a solid player down the road for the Texans.  He played in all 16 games for the Texans last season and he finished up with 18 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 3.5 sacks and 4 passes defensed.  In the third round (#77 overall) the Texans selected guard Antoine Caldwell out of Alabama.  Caldwell played in 11 games (3 starts) for the Texans last season and he has the potential to be a starter down the road for the Texans.  CB Glover Quin (4th round, #112 overall) out of New Mexico was a solid player for the Texans as a rookie.  He played in 15 games for the Texans last season and he finished with 68 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss and he defensed 11 passes.  Quin will likely be a impact player in the near future for the Texans when he starts picking off some passes.  TE Anthony Hill (4th round, #122 overall) out of North Carolina State only played in 5 games making 1 catch for 9 yards.  Fellow TE James Casey (5th round, #152 overall) out of Rice played in 15 games for the Texans as a rookie and he caught 6 passes for 64 yards (10.7 avg).  He also returned 1 kickoff for 0 yards and he made 6 tackles.  CB Brian McCain (6th round, #188 overall) out of Utah played in all 16 games for the Texans last season and he finished up with 15 tackles, 3 passes defensed and 1 interception.  Safety Troy Nolan (7th round, #223 overall) out of Arizona State spend his rookie season on the Injured Reserve List. 

GRADE FOR 2009:  A-

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A

Linebacker Brian Cushing of the Houston Texans has won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.  Cushing played in all 16 games for the Texans last season and he made 134 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks, forced 2 fumbles, defensed 10 passes and he intercepted four passes.  The Texans have really done a good job of drafting the last few years and they need to keep up the good work.

The Texans have lost rookie TE Anthony Hill for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL.  Hill played in 5 games for the Texans this season and he caught only 1 pass for 9 yards.  He was a 4th round selection of the Texans last April out of North Carolina State so the team still has high hopes for him in the future.

The Houston Texans hit the jackpot in the first round of the NFL Draft.  They selected linebacker Brian Cushing with the 15th pick of the first round and he has been a beast this season.  Cushing has 66 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, he has defensed 7 passes and he has 2 interceptions.  With Cushing added to Demeco Ryans and Mario Williams the Texans are building a very solid defense for the near future.  CB Glover Quin (4th round, #112 overall) has also been really solid for the Texans this season as he has 32 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and he has defensed 3 passes.  DE/OLB Connor Barwin (2nd round, #46 overall) has 8 tackles, 1 sack and he has defensed 2 passes this season.  The Texans hope he will improve in the 2nd half of the season.  OG Antoine Caldwell (3rd round, #77 overall) has played in only 3 games (0 starts) this season for the Texans.  TE Anthony Hill (4th round, #122 overall) has not done a thing yet this season for the Texans but with Owen Daniels out of action they need him to step up and do something.  TE James Casey (5th round, #152 overall) has caught 2 passes for 14 yards so far this season.  He has also made 3 tackles and returned 1 kickoff for 0 yards.  Casey will also be counted on to step up with Daniels out of action.  CB Brian McCain (6th round, #188 overall) has 7 tackles so far this season.  Safety Troy Nolan (7th round, #223 overall) has not played this season for the Texans.  Cushing and Quin make this a good draft for the Texans.

22-year old linebacker Brian Cushing has been dominating as a rookie this season.  Cushing has played in 7 games this season and he has made 56 tackles, has 1/2 a sack, 4 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, 6 passes defensed and he has 1 interception.  Cushing is proving to be a outstanding pick last April for the Texans as he was picked in the first round out of USC.  The Texans need Cushing to stay healthy and to keep up the good work.