Houston Texans
21. Will Fuller WR Notre Dame
50. Nick Martin C Notre Dame
85. Braxton Miller WR Ohio St.
119. Tyler Ervin RB San Jose St.
159. KJ Dillon SS West Virginia
166. DJ Reader DT Clemson
Immediate Impact: WR Will Fuller, C Nick Martin, WR Braxton Miller
To say the Texans’ passing offense relied heavily on DeAndre Hopkins would be an understatement and then they lost WR Nate Washington in the off season. I’m not a Fuller fan because he drops too many passes but he brings a deep speed skill they need to take some coverage away from Hopkins. Miller is still learning the position but he’s got talent and playmaking ability so they will use him. C Nick Martin isn’t his brother Zack but he’s going to be an immediate starter if he can beat out free agent signee Tony Bergstrom, that means he’s going to be an immediate starter.
Best Value: WR Braxton Miller
He is still raw but on this team he can be a starter in the slot and he’ll become a favorite safety valve for new QB Brock Osweiler. I truly believe Miller will end up with more catches on the season than first round pick Will Fuller and that’s pretty good value out of the third round.
Sleeper: RB Tyler Ervin
Ervin is a small RB coming in at 5’10 196 lbs. but he’s fast and he’ll make plays. The Texans signed Lamar Miller and he’ll be the primary back but every team needs a multifaceted running game and varying skills. Miller is a 225 lbs. back who can carry the load but Ervin will carve out his spot in the offense and be a nice complement to Lamar Miller’s skills.
Overall Analysis
It’s a small draft class of only six but I think all six make the roster and contribute. The drafting of Fuller and Miller doesn’t bode well for last year’s WR draft pick Jaelen Strong especially after he didn’t have a great rookie season and had a rough off season with an arrest for drug possession. Martin will grab the starting C job early and he needs to develop a rapport with QB Brock Osweiler for the long haul. Ervin becomes a nice weapon on offense. SS KJ Dillon is definitely better at run support than coverage but the Texans’ safety position isn’t exactly a who’s who of Pro Bowlers so there is room to move and Dillon can make a mark on special teams in the meantime. DT DJ Reader is a little raw and needs some time to develop but the Texans still have veteran (very veteran at this point) Vince Wilfork at NT and he can give Reader time to develop and also teach him a lot about the position. Reader is 6’3 327 lbs. and as they say you can’t teach size so he’s worth the investment and he could pay off big time in the future.
Indianapolis Colts
18. Ryan Kelly C Alabama
57. TJ Green FS Clemson
82. Le’Raven Clark OT Texas Tech
116. Hassan Ridgeway DT Texas
125. Antonio Morrison ILB Florida
155. Joe Haeg OT North Dakota St.
239. Trevor Bates DE Maine
248. Austin Blythe C/G Iowa
Immediate Impact: C Ryan Kelly
The Colts offensive line was terrible last year and Andrew Luck suffered the consequences which is why you saw them draft four offensive linemen. They will all have a chance to compete for a spot but Kelly will have no competition for the C job. He’s a fantastic prospect that was the starter the second his name was announced and he’ll give Luck a little more confidence in the line right up the middle. Kelly has future Pro Bowl potential at the position and they can really use that kind of upgrade.
Best Value: OT Le’Raven Clark
Clark was a bit overshadowed by the higher rated prospects but he has a chance to step right into the RT job for the Colts. Right now it’s either Jack Mewhort or Denzelle Good there and while the Colts like Good’s potential Clark is a better choice and Mewhort would be better off inside at OG which would upgrade a couple of positions.
Sleeper: C/G Austin Blythe
Call it a homer pick if you want but Blythe can play in the NFL and he went to a team that desperately needs interior offensive linemen. He fell to the seventh round because he isn’t prototypical size for an NFL guard because he’s a bit light at just under 300 lbs. but that won’t stop Blythe. He is a technically proficient player with strength and tenacity. His previous wrestling experience helped him with his technique and the lack of great interior options for the Colts means he could end up playing at OG next to Ryan Kelly and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s actually the backup to Kelly also.
Overall Analysis
Kelly, Clark, Blythe and North Dakota St. OT Joe Haeg were all really good choices because it gives the Colts some options and strengthens a very week offensive line. Going into the draft they only had LT Anthony Costanzo and T/G Jack Mewhort as better than average offensive line starters. FS TJ Green is a nice athlete that they can really use in the secondary and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up a starter at safety, he’s not my favorite player but he’s better than what they have. DT Hassan Ridgeway is a nice pickup that can back up at multiple positions on the defensive line. LB Antonio Morrison could really help at ILB if he can stay healthy. My only major concern with this draft class is that the Colts desperately needed to address their pass rush and all they did was take an undersized DE Trevor Bates out of Maine in the seventh round, not exactly going to change the game for them.
Jacksonville Jaguars
5. Jalen Ramsey DB Florida St.
36. Myles Jack LB UCLA
69. Yannick Ngakoue DE Maryland
103. Sheldon Day DT Notre Dame
181. Tyrone Holmes OLB Montana
201. Brandon Allen QB Arkansas
226. Jonathan Woodard DE Central Arkansas
Immediate Impact: DB Jalen Ramsey, LB Myles Jack
The Jaguars got the two defensive players they wanted the most in the entire draft. Ramsey will line up at CB and will most likely start opposite new free agent signee Prince Amukamara but whether he stays there or becomes a safety he’s a future Pro Bowler. Jack’s knee has been the biggest concern and that’s why he was available in round 2. Jack will start at LB as soon as he’s healthy and he should be healthy right away.
Best Value: LB Myles Jack
Jack was one of the top 5 overall players in the draft without the knee injury and it’s only potentially a long-term issue meaning he will be good in the short-term. Getting him in the second round of the draft when he was potentially a pick at #5 was highway robbery.
Sleeper: DE Yannick Ngakoue
The Jaguars are hoping that the return to health of last year’s draft pick Dante Fowler will improve their pass rush along with free agent signee Malik Jackson but they aren’t stopping there. They drafted Ngakoue, Tyrone Holmes and Jonathan Woodard to get some edge rushing and they are hoping one comes through. Ngakoue is the best bet.
Overall Analysis
It’s hard not to love a draft that gets two of the top 5 players in the entire class like Ramsey and Jack. The Jaguars also spent all but one of their picks on defense because they know their offense is doing just fine and the defense needed help. Besides the terrific Ramsey and Jack picks and their focus on outside pass rushers they grabbed an underrated DT Sheldon Day that will give them some quality depth inside on the defensive line. I also like their one offensive pick QB Brandon Allen. This team doesn’t need a QB given how well Blake Bortles is developing but they only have Chad Henne behind Bortles and it’s never a bad idea to develop a backup. Allen’s transition to the NFL will be aided by the fact he played under center in college and while he isn’t the biggest guy he could be a quality backup for a long time.
Tennessee Titans
8. Jack Conklin OT Michigan St.
33. Kevin Dodd DE Clemson
43. Austin Johnson DT Penn St.
45. Derrick Henry RB Alabama
64. Kevin Byard SS Middle Tennessee
140. Tajae Sharpe WR UMass
157. LeShaun Sims CB Southern Utah
193. Sebastian Tretola OG Arkansas
222. Aaron Wallace OLB UCLA
253. Kalan Reed CB Southern Miss
Immediate Impact: OT Jack Conklin, RB Derrick Henry
Conklin may have gone a little bit high as the Titans moved back up after trading down and then passed on Laremy Tunsil. The Titans needed an OT and Conklin will make a nice bookend to LT Taylor Lewan and he should start right away on the right side. I don’t like Henry in particular but he should get a pretty good shot at playing a lot unless Demarco Murray can rediscover his game. The Titans didn’t invest a second round pick in Henry to let him sit.
Best Value: DT Austin Johnson
I like Johnson a lot even in this very deep DT class and he’s the right fit in Tennessee’s 3-man front. He can play on the nose because he has terrific size but he can also add depth at DE because of his skillset. Getting a guy that is that versatile in the second round is valuable.
Sleeper: CB Kalan Reed
Reed was the last pick of the draft this season but he won’t be irrelevant very long. The Titans aren’t exactly teeming with quality CBs and a while they drafted higher rated DBs like Byard and Sims I think Reed’s experience gives him a chance to actually make a difference.
Overall Analysis
After trading down from #1 and then trading back up the Titans still got plenty of players. They attacked both lines grabbing a starting RT Jack Conklin and a nice interior depth piece with OG Sebastian Tretola. They got help on the defensive line with DT Austin Johnson and while Kevin Dodd is listed as a DE he is probably going to be a big OLB used to get some pass rush. I haven’t been a big fan of Dodd (he doesn’t have a ton of great tape) and I think he may struggle with the transition to OLB and he isn’t big enough to play DE in the 3-4 defense. Henry was a luxury given the presence of Murray, David Cobb and Antonio Andrews but that’s what you can do when you pick up a bunch of picks. The secondary needed a lot of help and they got Byard, Sims and Reed and they could all make the team. Aaron Wallace could be a nice athletic addition to the LB corps and while Tajae Sharpe was a highly productive WR at UMass he may have a hard time cracking this roster. The Titans have Kendall Wright, Harry Douglas, Justin Hunter, last year’s rookie Dorial Green-Beckham and newly signed Rishard Matthews at WR, Sharpe is fighting an uphill battle.
The Hott Read 