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Houston Texans Get A+ in Rick Gosselin's Draft Grades

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

Longtime NFL reporter Rick Gosselin, like most writers, knows that readers like draft grades. He grades a draft, and then re-grades it after the season. He's a tough grader, and gives most teams average grades.

Surprisingly, this year the only team that received an A+ in his grades were the Houston Texans. He thought the picks made sense for the team, and I agree. I don't know how they will perform on the field, but the selections were good value and fit key needs.

Jets Introduce Smooth, Savvy Sanchez

First-round NFL Draft pick Mark Sanchez is looking forward to trading in his suit for his New York Jets uniform.NEW YORK -- Mark Sanchez wasn't at USC's spring practice Saturday, but when Trojans coach Pete Carroll called that night to congratulate Sanchez on being the No. 5 pick in the NFL draft, he gleefully told his former quarterback the story of what went down.

"He said they had a live feed of the draft on the Megatron video board there at the Coliseum," Sanchez said Sunday at Radio City Music Hall. "And every time an SC guy got picked, they'd stop practice. And he said when they showed that Cleveland had traded the (fifth) pick and that the Jets picked me, he said 25,000 people just went nuts."

Sanchez also admitted that Carroll must have been stopping practice a lot.

Day 2 at the NFL Draft

NEW YORK -- Just arrived back at Radio City Music Hall for the second day of the NFL Draft, and let's just say there's a little more room to spread out today. The NFL says nearly 750 members of the media showed up to cover Day 1, but looking around this room now I think we'd struggle to get near 75. Maybe everybody's sleeping in. Or maybe people don't actually come and cover Day 2, and I'm in the wrong place. Hey, we're learning.

Regardless, there are a couple of things worth mentioning here in the moments before the third round begins. The Jets need somebody for Mark Sanchez to throw to. The Lions need people who can stop the other team from scoring and get Matt Stafford and Brandon Pettigrew on the field. And a number of folks seem to have the wrong idea about the way I feel about the Patriots. So let's look ahead and clear a couple of things up with four Day 2 Questions.

Does the Brian Cushing Pick Signal a Run on (USC) Linebackers?

NFL Draft Photos

    Wide receiver Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech University stands with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected by the San Francisco 49ers as the 10th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York April 25, 2009. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson (UNITED STATES SPORT FOOTBALL)

    Reuters

    New York Jets fans react after the Jets selected quarterback Mark Sanchez from the University of Southern California as the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York April 25, 2009. REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine (UNITED STATES SPORT FOOTBALL)

    Reuters

    Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree speaks to the media after he was selected as the 10th overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers during the first round of the NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall Saturday, April 25, 2009, in New York.(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

    AP

    In this pool photo provided by the Miami Dolphins, Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano, left, general manager Jeff Ireland and Bill Parcells, executive vice president of football operations, look on during NFL Draft day, Saturday, April 25, 2009 at the team's training facility in Davie Fla. (AP Photo/Miami Dolphins, Pool) ** Pool Photo **

    AP

    Defensive end Brian Orakpo from the University of Texas stands with his family on stage after being selected by the Washington Redskins as the 13th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York April 25, 2009. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson (UNITED STATES SPORT FOOTBALL)

    Reuters

    Defensive end Brian Orakpo from the University of Texas reacts on stage after being selected by the Washington Redskins as the 13th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York April 25, 2009. REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine (UNITED STATES SPORT FOOTBALL)

    Reuters

    Detroit Lions football fans had access to Ford Field while watching the NFL Draft on the big screen on Saturday, April 25, 2009 in Detroit. The Lions chose Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford with the No. 1 overall pick in the first round of the draft. (AP Photo/Jerry S. Mendoza)

    AP

    NEW YORK - APRIL 25: Tampa Bay Buccaneers #17 draft pick Josh Freeman poses with his family at Radio City Music Hall for the 2009 NFL Draft on April 25, 2009 in New York City (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Josh Freeman

    Getty Images

    NEW YORK - APRIL 25: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell poses with Tampa Bay Buccaneers #17 draft pick Josh Freeman at Radio City Music Hall for the 2009 NFL Draft on April 25, 2009 in New York City (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Roger Goodell;Josh Freeman

    Getty Images

    NEW YORK - APRIL 25: Tampa Bay Buccaneers #17 draft pick Josh Freeman poses for photographers at Radio City Music Hall for the 2009 NFL Draft on April 25, 2009 in New York City (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Josh Freeman

    Getty Images


NEW YORK -- San Diego just took Larry English with the No. 16 pick. They apparently didn't get the memo. English went to Northern Illinois. Which is not USC. Which is, as everybody knows, where the linebackers come from.

When the Texans picked Brian Cushing at No. 15, it felt like there was about to be a run on USC linebackers. Cushing, as you know if you got this week's Sports Illustrated, is one of three Trojan linebackers projected to go in this year's first round. And if you think that sounds unusual, that's because it is.

Final Mock Draft Wrap-Up: At Least We Know Who's No. 1

It's amazing how a player can rise and fall in the final weeks of the draft. Tyson Jackson hasn't played a game since early January. All through January, February and March, he was looked at as a defensive end who could go somewhere between No. 10 and No. 20.

But now in the final days before the draft, all of a sudden multiple mock drafts are predicting Jackson to go No. 3 overall. We'll find out soon whether it's a true rise or some subterfuge.

With the draft just hours away, here is a final look at who the mock drafts are picking to go where. This is a roundup of 17 different mock drafts, all of the mock drafts are from this week and most are from the last day as experts try to refine their final predictions. Everyone will get No. 1 right, as everyone predicts the Lions will take Matt Stafford.

Cushing Thinks He's Best of Historic Trio

NEW YORK -- It's not everyday you see three players from the same school taken in the first round of the NFL draft. Three linebackers? That's unprecedented territory.

The magnitude of the occasion isn't lost on Brian Cushing, who should be one of three rough-and-ready USC linebackers selected in the first round on Saturday. But that doesn't mean he's ready to concede a higher draft slot to former teammates Rey Maualuga and Clay Matthews.

Brian Cushing Draft Profile


Brian Cushing, LB

    Selected:

  • College: Southern Cal.
  • Age: 22
  • Height: 6-foot-3
  • Weight: 243 lbs.
  • 2008 Stats: 73 tackles (46 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 interception




Scouting Report: Instincts may be best quality, he finds the ball and makes plays quickly. Good size and speed. Works well in the gaps on blitzes. Can play in either 3-4 or 4-3 scheme. Teams will like his motor. Not a great pass rusher. Durability is a concern.

2009 Outlook: Of the three USC linebackers that could go in the first round, Cushing may be the most all-or-nothing candidate. He could develop into a great linebacker that leads his team in tackles, or he could be an average contributor.

HIGHLIGHT REEL:

Handful of Accused 1st-Rounders Clean

So, remember those "reports" of players who had failed drug tests at the combine? B.J. Raji (pictured), Vontae Davis, Clay Matthews and Brian Cushing had all allegedly tested positive -- Raji and Davis for marijuana, Matthews and Cushing for steroids -- according to the irresponsibly named NFLDraftBible.com (who I refuse to link to, due to the fact that they are looking increasingly like an absolute farce).

Well, the more distance we get from the faux-report, the more the facts come to the surface, and it doesn't look good for the credibility -- if they even had any in the first place -- of this supposed "bible." Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk is reporting that Raji is clean, as are the other three.

Report: NFL Teams to Learn of Positive Combine Drug Tests Monday or Tuesday

Percy HarvinIt looks as if we'll soon have some clarity on this sticky issue of who did and who didn't test positive at the NFL scouting combine.

According to a report on ProFootballTalk.com, the NFL's 32 teams will receive a list of the players who tested positive on Monday or Tuesday of this week, giving them a couple of days before the draft to digest the information and determine how it should affect their draft-day decisions.

When the list does come out, and when the names on it are made public, the NFL will finally be through with an ugly part of its offseason.

The Perfect Draft: Houston Texans

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

The Texans have been an 8-8 team for the last two years -- a record I find astonishingly good considering how terrible their defense has been.

Allegedly, this is the year that the defense gets fixed.

The Texans fired the defensive coordinator, the defensive line coach and the defensive backs coach, mostly because they can't fire all the players who aren't particularly good. (Though they did get rid of a number of them.) In short, this is a defense that needs more playmakers.

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