DeAndre Hopkins

The first wide receiver not named Andre Johnson to eclipse the 1,000 yard receiving mark in a season for the Houston Texans, Hopkins took advantage of the time he spent with Ryan Fitzpatrick in the offseason and put up 76 receptions for 1,210 yards and six touchdowns.

Hopkins showed he can be the focus, carrying the passing game, and he is still learning how to play the game. Most impressive was his route running and ability to create space with his short area quickness.

His growth within the season with his high ceiling and remaining room to grow makes the 27th overall selection in 2013 look like bargain at this point.

Arian Foster

With questions about his health and about whether he could return to form after season-ending back surgery in 2013, Foster proved to be one of the top running backs in the NFL. Appearing in 13 games, Foster had 1,246 rushing yards (6th in the NFL) while averaging 4.8 yards a rush (8th in the NFL).

He changed the complexion of the Texans offense when he was on the field and made the offensive line better in the run game with his cuts and ability to read defenses. Foster is a rare player who makes everyone around him on offense better.

With over 1,500 yards from scrimmage, Foster was the Texans most productive offensive player when he touched the football.

Ryan Pickett

Racking up 20 total tackles on the season along with three pass deflections, Pickett was one of the best pickups of the season for the Texans and a component of their defensive turnaround. The addition of Pickett made clear that the defense had been missing a true nose tackle but it allowed the Texans to shuffle their defensive line rotation.

Pickett covered up the inside linebacker and his big 340 lbs. frame made the defense better than expected.

Mount Pickett for the Texans

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D.J. Swearinger

The change came for Swearinger after he was removed from the Texans base defense and became a safety that played inside the box next to Mike Mohamed or Brian Cushing in dime situations. Taken out of deep coverage responsibilities, Romeo Crennel found a spot for Swearinger that impacted the defense, which was inside the box roaming the middle of the field.

Swearinger played fast inside the box and complimented the linebackers next to him, changing the speed factor inside the middle of the field. He allowed Crennel to add players in the best positions, mainly Danieal Manning working next to Kendrick Lewis as the deep safeties. Swearinger was lining up the defense and directing traffic when he would look at formations on the field, helping his teammates out.

His ability to blitz, drop into coverage, and close space in a hurry improved a leaky sub package defense in the middle of the field. Finding the right niche was key for Swearinger to succeed, and Crennel found the best fit for him.

J.J. Watt

Is there really a question on why the defensive end is on the list? Watt showed week in and week out that he can control games and be a one-man wrecking crew that went every game this season with a disruption, totaling 119 for the season. Watt had a disruption on the quarterback one out of every 5.3 snaps in which he rushed the quarterback.

Kendrick Lewis and Johnathan Joseph talked about by knowing where Watt aligned on the defensive line, they would have an idea what plays could be run by the opposition. Watt's dominance helped everyone on the defense play smarter and faster, understanding what was coming at them from the offense.

Watt’s play was unmatched and his 2014 season was one for the ages. His presence was felt on both offense and defense, and he became the first player in NFL history with 20 or more sacks in more than one season. The records he set and broke this season are too many to list (you can see them here) but are just examples of how he put his name into the NFL’s MVP race.

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