So says the AP. While LB Clay Matthews of the Green Bay Packers is the 3rd best rookie, Texans's LB Brian Cushing is the best. I'm not a big fan of No. 2 on that list because the value of S Jairus Byrd might be inflated by some gaudy INT numbers that he won't sustain going forward in his career. But I'll give it to Cushing over Matthews. The Packers have the better pass rusher, but Cushing is a complete LB who can tackle (134 total), rush the QB (5 sacks), and is very good in pass coverage (4 INTs, 10 pass defenses). Those are outstanding numbers and picking Cushing over Matthews is no knock on Matthews.
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