April 26, 2009
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Five TCU players were selected in the 2009 National Football League draft.
Linebacker Jason Phillips was the first pick in the fifth round by the Baltimore Ravens, before three Horned Frogs were taken in the sixth round and another in the seventh.
Linebacker Robert Henson went to the Washington Redskins, tailback Aaron Brown to the Detroit Lions and outside linebacker Stephen Hodge to the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round. Hodge was a safety at TCU. Center Blake Schlueter was a seventh-round pick of the Denver Broncos.
The five picks are the most for TCU since the 2001 draft when six Horned Frogs were selected. Henson, Brown and Hodge were taken in a span of 12 picks.
TCU had the most draft picks of any football program in the state of Texas while tying for 10th-best nationally.
The Horned Frogs have now had 21 players drafted in the eight-year tenure of head coach Gary Patterson.
Phillips is the only defensive player in Mountain West Conference history to be a first- or second-team all-conference selection in four consecutive seasons. In 2008, he was a first-team All-MWC pick and honorable-mention All-American. He also made watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Dick Butkus Award and Rotary Lombardi Award.
A native of Waller, Texas, Phillips topped the Frogs with 84 tackles in 2008. It was the third time in four seasons he led TCU in stops. Phillips' 13.0 tackles for loss were second on the team behind only consensus All-American Jerry Hughes.
Phillips, who totaled 315 career tackles, started all but one game over the last four seasons.
Henson was an honorable-mention All-Mountain West Conference selection his first three years before being a first-team pick in 2008.
The Longview, Texas, native placed third on the Frogs with 73 tackles, including 9.0 for loss, last season. He added two interceptions, a sack, forced fumble and two pass breakups.
Henson totaled 272 tackles in his career. He finished in the top five on TCU in tackles each of his four seasons. Henson was the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Week as a sophomore in a 26-3 win over Wyoming.
Brown finished his career as TCU's 10th-leading career rusher with 2,596 yards on a 5.3 per carry average and 20 touchdowns. He added 81 career receptions for another five scores.
A three-time All-Mountain West Conference selection, Brown was fifth in the nation in 2008 with a 29.2-yard average on kickoff returns. He had an 85-yard touchdown against Wyoming in addition to 75- and 56-yard returns against Oklahoma and BYU, respectively.
Brown, a native of Katy, Texas, was the 2005 Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year. He closed his career with 102 yards rushing, including a 16-yard touchdown, in the 17-16 Poinsettia Bowl victory over Boise State. It was his seventh career 100-yard game.
Hodge was named TCU's Defensive Most Valuable Player in the bowl win over Boise State. The Tatum, Texas, native totaled 11 tackles, including three for loss with one sack. He also recorded his first career interception with 1:47 left in the game to preserve the victory.
A first-team All-Mountain West Conference selection in 2008, Hodge placed second on the Horned Frogs with a career-high 81 tackles. He had a personal-best 12 stops, including one for loss, in the 32-7 win over BYU. Hodge was a preseason All-American who appeared on watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Jim Thorpe Award.
In 2007, Hodge's eight sacks led the nation for defensive backs.
Schlueter, from Ganado, Texas, was a three-time All-Mountain West Conference selection. He started all but one game the last three seasons and appeared on watch lists for the Rimington Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award.
Schlueter anchored a TCU offensive line in 2008 that enabled the Horned Frogs to set single-season school records for points scored (437) and touchdowns (56).
