POD Community Mock Draft: Pick No. 15
by Sean Yuille on Apr 8, 2009 6:00 PM EDT
in NFL Draft
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With the fifteenth pick of the 2009 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Houston Texans select Southern Cal linebacker Brian Cushing.
Here is Hyperion Ecta's reasoning for the pick:
The Texans have been on the verge of the playoffs recently and a strong draft this year is crucial to putting them into the postseason. Houston's main problem lies in Defence. Across most stats, the Texans are in the bottom half of the league with rushing being the major area that needs fixing. Antonio Smith was signed in the offseason, which fixed the major need at Defensive End. Leaving two primary needs, Safety and Outside Linebacker.
Since Aaron Curry has been off the board for what seems like an age, the next best Outside Linebacker is Brian Cushing from USC. Cushing is something of a manufactured athlete. He's a huge man with great bulk and musculature with some calling him a 'Greek god'. He plays the game with aggression and provides a strong pass rush as well as run stopping ability, something the Texans need desperately. The only major knock on Cushing is that he has some major durability issues, starting only 16 games in his first 3 years at college, but if he can stay healthy, I see Cushing being a dominant Linebacker for Houston. Since the top talent in the secondary, Malcolm Jenkins, is off the board, the higher talents at OLB position take precedence. Cushing's teammate Matthews would be a decent choice but with Cushing still on the board, he'd be a reach.
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Addresses the OLB need
I like the pick. You nailed their needs— specifically an OUTSIDE linebacker. With his speed, he should be able to get up the field and put pressure on the quarterback in the NFL and also drop back into pass coverage against some of the better tight-ends in the league. But the best thing about him is his “motor.” (by the way, I hate when people say that…. but right now I cant think of a better way to put it). His high energy would be something that the rest of the Texans defense could use….
I’m glad you mentioned the injury problems too. There’s going to be some risk there, but when you look at Houston’s needs and what’s still avaliable in this draft— he’s the guy.
Cheers,
Matt
www.viewfrommyseats.com
Nice Pick
Something about Brian Cushing makes me think green…
Is anyone else excited to see which of these USC linebackers makes the largest impact in the league? That is something I am really looking forward to.
I like your Cushing pick the Texans don’t have any reliable OLBs with Zach Diles getting injured last year (although, he was having a decent season) and nobody but scrubs opposite him. Good pick up, if it wasn’t for Jenkins falling in my lap, I would’ve grabbed Cushing for the Saints and been very happy with him.
I believe they will trade out of this spot.
If they stay, either Cushing or Matthews make sense here. I think they would have liked Jenkins too. V. Davis is a possibility. This is not a great spot for Houston. Their second pick might actually be the more important one for their team.
Yeah
Trading is a definite possibility but, as you know, there’s no trading in the POD mock draft. Jenkins was my first choice but the Saints snapped him up. The reason I didn’t go Davis is because they need a safety more than a corner, Jenkings could be a pro-bowl safety, unlike Davis.
2009 = The start of the Lions Golden Age (We hope).
by Hyperion Ecta on Apr 8, 2009 11:24 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree
if Malcolm Jenkins doesn’t fall here you have to believe they’d trade out of it considering they have no picks between their #14 and their 4th rd pick.
I think....
Its a little stretch for even Cushing right here but since they need Defense not “Defence” it may be an alright pick.
in contrast
Maybe they would take Beanie Wells here to have a change of pace back with Slaton
That might be something they address later in the draft
2009 = The start of the Lions Golden Age (We hope).
by Hyperion Ecta on Apr 8, 2009 11:24 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm the resident Aussie Lions fan
2009 = The start of the Lions Golden Age (We hope).
by Hyperion Ecta on Apr 8, 2009 11:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Who are all the folks who voted no?
I don’t see any dissenting comments in here. I’d be curious to hear from them. I think this is a good pick for Houston. They really need an OLB and Cushing will be a good player for them.
"A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five." ~Groucho Marx
There does seem to be a lot of no's on the poll, strange
2009 = The start of the Lions Golden Age (We hope).
by Hyperion Ecta on Apr 8, 2009 11:25 PM EDT up reply actions
I voted NO.......as usual.
I’m not a fan of Cushing. His injury issues really bother me. I overlook one big injury in a guy’s history, but when he has a bunch of injuries to different parts of the body, that’s a real problem. The NFL is slightly more physical than the PAC Ten. I’m not crazy about Matthews this high either. There are better values for OLB in the second and third round.
But what are you gonna do? You pick from the players who are in front of you.
Let’s call this a weak no.
I say good pick
The guy is a beast. He can play both OLB spots and maybe some MLB if needed. Also he can put his fingers in the dirt and rush the passer, another need for the Texans. If he plays on the side of mario Williams, they could be starting a dominant defense in Houston.
Why I voted No
Aside from the NFLdraftbible.com incident, Clay Matthews III has not really had accusations of steroid use. If you look through pictures of Brian Cushing, he fluctuates from lean, to flabby to ripped. This has caused some concerns among Texans fans.
Ignoring the steroids issue, since both players are innocent until they fail a drug test, a lot of us think that Cushing is about as good as he will be, whereas Clay 3 has shown tremendous work ethic by working his way up from a walk on special teamer.
Another point is that one of the Texans biggest weaknesses has been lack of a pass rush. At USC, Clay 3 played the “Elephant” position, which is essentially a DE who stands up. He was better at rushing the passer in college, and at his pro-day and the combine, he looked like he would be good in coverage as well. With all of these things factored in, most of us just feel like Clay 3 is a better fit in Houston, if not a better player overall.
Texan fan here too
Tailgate Andy is exactly on point here. The durability issues with Cushing alone are enough to scare me off. Cushing may be a better player today, but I like the long term prospects of Clay3 better. His combination of “fluid hips” which translate to pass coverage skill along with his outstanding 10 yard “burst” time equating to pass rushing ability are just what the Texans need in a SLB. Cushing may be somewhat better against the run, but I prefer the overall package Clay3 brings to the table.
by oiler-texan diehard on Apr 9, 2009 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions
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