2009 Houston Texans Draft Review

Round 1 - Brian Cushing - ILB - USC

This guy was absolutely a beast at ILB from day one alongside Demeco Ryans, another fellow LB stud. Even after getting his hair chopped off during a rookie initiation prank during camp and getting hurt early in the preseason, Cushing played every snap of the football for the Texans defense. Also noteworthy is that it seemed like he sat out several days a every week nursing injuries and still played like the star he was on Sundays. He is a rising star and heck of a force for the Texans D for years to come. AWARDS: 2009 Def. ROY, All-Pro 2nd Team, Pro Bowl.



Round 2 - Conner Barwin - DE - Cincinnatti

Conner never played defense before his senior year in college. As far as I have read, he played mostly TE during college and converted over to defense as an experiment. However he registered something like 12 sacks as a converted DE during his senior campaign at Cincy. The Texans liked him as a DE and decided to use him as a pass rushing specialist on 3rd down passing situations. After a slower start, he progressed and really learned how to use his speed in my eyes registering 4 1/2 sacks as a rookie for the Texans. If he can improve on his technique, he can be moved to DE full time and really challenge offensive linemen off the ball. He will continue to get better I'm sure. He's a work in progress with good upside.

Round 3 - Antoine Caldwell - OG/C - Alabama

Caldwell came off the bench for most of the year for the Texans as a center and guard replacement for the injured Mike Briesel and Chris Myers respectively. He played alongside another backup Casey Studdard out of Texas. He did admirable, yet he has some improvement to make in his sophomore season. The Texans seem to think he can be the starter at G this season and see that as a better fit than C. He his big and has good feet from what I read and the Texans coaches like him. We'll see how he does next year.




Round 4 - Glover Quin - CB - New Mexico

What can I say about this guy? Outside of Cushing, he was the most productive rookie Texan and my favorite newcomer. He started out in Nickel situations because the team had perennial starters Dunta Robinson, Jacque Reeves, and Fred Bennett. Well, Robinson didn't come to camp, Reeves broke his leg and then hand in camp, and Bennett and Quin became the starters in preseason. Quin showed his flashes of brilliance in camp and it carried over into the season when Bennett and Reeves were sent to the bench as backups behind Robinson and Quin. Quin was very versatile in cover situations and also known as a hard hitter. He very much held his own. The Texans coaches see him as one of the starters with Robinson gone in 201o.

Round 4 - Anthony Hill - TE - NC State

Hill was basically going to be a replacement for the retiring Mark Bruener who was mainly used as a run blocking TE or in three-TE sets. He is 6'6'' 269 lbs. He has the speed to get up the field as well. He showed some skill early on in a few pass catching situations and in his blocking, but was hurt a few games into the season, tearing an ACL and going on injured reserve. Look for him to recover fully in 2010 but not be highly depended on from the get-go. He'll need some time to get back into rhythm.

Round 5 - James Casey - TE - Rice

Electrifying college WR who played minor league baseball as well. First of all he went to Rice so we know he's a smart person. Second, he's married and has a child, so we assume he's pretty mature as well. He's a little older in his mid 20's but is one heck of a TE prospect. When he had the opportunities to play TE he showed his huge play-making ability. When Owen Daniels went down for the year, everyone assumed he would step in and contribute heavily. Well, that didn't happen as planned, yet he did step in and make some good strides. He will get better in 2010 and is also the only TE not coming off of surgery for the Texans.

Round 6 - Brice McCain - CB - Utah

McCain came off the bench for most of the year but showed his true talent when he was inserted later in the season as the nickel CB when Fred Bennett and Jacque Reeves were relegated to the backup roles. He his high-flying and probably the fastest player on the Texans roster. He has the speed to stay with any receiver and the size to cover well. He hasn't had a whole lot of NFL experience covering number one receivers so he'll have to pick up more technique, watch more film on receiver tendencies, and use his freshman campaign as a springboard into his sophomore year. He is very much liked by his coaches and has the talent to start if he continues to improve. Hopefully they'll line him up against Andre Johnson and Jacoby Jones some so he can really continue to improve against solid receivers and become a good starter in 2010.

Round 7 - Troy Nolan - S - Arizona State

Not much is really known about Nolan at the NFL level. He was hurt early in camp, put on IR, and didn't have much time to show anything special. He may turn out to be a good find in the 7th round, but honestly, I don't expect a whole lot since the Texans have found their SS in Bernard Pollard and are looking for a starter or quality backup at FS behind Eugene Wilson and backup Dominique Barber who can virtually play both safety positions. The Texans aren't stupid evaluators of talent, so they must have seen something in him to draft him at all. He is a definite work in progress and we'll just have to wait and see if he has potential to play in the NFL on a regular basis.