POD Community Mock Draft: Pick No. 15

Rd. # Player Pos. College 1 15 Brian Cushing LB Southern Cal General Manager: Hyperion Ecta

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.