AFC South Draft Review

Houston Texans

• Justin Reid (68^th, 4^th)   S   Stanford
• Martinas Rankin (80^th, 3^rd)   OL   Mississippi
• Jordan Akins (98^th, 3^rd)   TE   Central Florida
• Keke Coutee (103^rd, 4^th)   WR   Texas Tech
• Duke Ejiofor (177^th, 6^th)   DE   Wake Forest
• Jordan Thomas (211^th, 6^th)   TE   Mississippi St.
• Peter Kalambayi (214^th, 6^th)   OLB   Stanford
• Jermaine Kelly (222^nd, 7^th)   DB   San Jose St.

Immediate Impact:  OL Martinas Rankin

The Texans are a pretty solid looking team in many respects but their offensive line leaves a lot to be desired.  Rankin played OT in college but most assumed he would move inside, perhaps to center, in the NFL.  Not so fast, the state of the Texans OTs means Rankin will have a shot there.  Julie’n Davenport is slated to start at LT, he has some developing to do.  Seantrel Henderson, a castoff from Buffalo, is set for the RT job.  Anyone the Bills discarded on the offensive line is suspect.  Rankins will start somewhere, probably not at center if Nick Martin is healthy, but any of the other four positions could be had.

Best Value:  S Justin Reid

I’m not sure if Reid will beat out Andre Hal for the starting spot opposite Tyrann Mathieu but it’s possible.  Reid was talked about by some as a first-round prospect, I thought second-round was more plausible, which means getting him early in the third was good value.

Sleeper:  DE Duke Ejiofor

Not a household name because he played at Wake Forest but he’s classically built for the Texans 3-man line.  With JJ Watt’s injury history and the fact, he’s 29 years old the team has needs.  They aren’t exactly deep on the defensive line so Ejiofor should find some playing time and he can play.  He’s a power player that could become a future starter.

Overall Analysis

This analysis isn’t complete without noting the fact the team didn’t have a first-round pick this year because they traded it last season to move up to take Deshaun Watson.  Watson looked great once he took over last season and before he got hurt.  The biggest concern right now is he may be running for his life behind a terrible offensive line.  Getting a mobile QB killed because of a bad o-line is a bad strategy, a lesson the team should have learned from the RG3 years in Washington.  Reid was great value in the third and so was Rankin. TEs Jordan Akins and Jordan Thomas were necessary due to a lack of any depth after the early retirement of CJ Fiedorowicz due to concussions.  WR Keke Coutee has some work to do to overcome his size limitations but is speed is intriguing and since the rest of the WR corps has problems staying healthy he could stick around.  LB Kalambayi and DB Kelly are probably not making the roster.

Indianapolis Colts

• Quenton Nelson (6^th, 1^st)   OG Notre Dame
• Darius Leonard (36^th, 2^nd)   OLB   South Carolina St.
• Braden Smith (37^th, 2^nd )   OG   Auburn
• Kemoko Turay (52^nd, 2^nd)   DE   Rutgers
• Tyquon Lewis (64^th, 2^nd)   DE   Ohio St.
• Nyheim Hines (104^th, 4^th)   RB   North Carolina St.
• Daurice Fountain (159^th, 5^th)   WR   Northern Iowa
• Jordan Wilkins (169^th, 5^th)   RB   Mississippi
• Deon Cain (185^th, 6^th)   WR   Clemson
• Matthew Adams (221^st, 7^th)   LB   Houston
• Zaire Franklin (235^th, 7^th)   LB   Syracuse

Immediate Impact:  OG Quenton Nelson, OG Braden Smith, LB Darius Leonard

Clearly, GM Chris Ballard prioritized protecting Andrew Luck above all else.  The offensive line has been a problem but Nelson is the best OG prospect in 15 years and he’s an immediate starter.  Smith played OT at Auburn but he is expected to shift inside to OG in the pros.  The team could take a look at him, Jack Mewhort and Joe Haeg and figure out who is the best option at RT and who should play OG.

Best Value:  WR Deon Cain

I thought about making him my sleeper pick but he’s actually sort of a big name.  Cain looks the part of a top WR but for some reason just never reached the level of being a superstar like previous Clemson WRs (Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Williams, etc., it’s an impressive list).  Cain was supposed to be that level but his hands are inconsistent and he just never dominates his opponent.  He has the tools, if the Colts unlock his potential he’s a monster pick in the 6^th round.

Sleeper:  WR Daurice Fountain

The Colts have a new coaching staff and new WR coach Keven Patullo has his work cut out for him.  Besides TY Hilton the team is pretty poor at WR.  Fountain has the physical tools you look for; height, weight, speed, agility and vertical leap but he lacks technique and fundamentals.  He beat his competition at UNI with his physical gifts, in the NFL that won’t work so well.  If he can fix his technical issues he could be a star.

Overall Analysis

GM Chris Ballard knew what he wanted to do and that was rebuild the offensive line and the defensive front seven.  I can’t say I like all his picks but I understand his decision.  Nelson and Smith help a great deal on the offensive line and Nelson will especially improve the run game, tell Marlon Mack to get behind him and go.  The team took 5 players in the defensive front seven, LB Darius Leonard should start immediately.  Leonard is a bit undersized but he should bring speed and tackling to a defense lacking in both.  The defense is in transition from the previous 3-4 alignment to more of a 4-3 look so DEs Kemoko Turay and Tyquan Lewis should get some playing time for sure.  Adams and Franklin, the two 7^th round LBs, may not seem like they are going to contribute but, on this defense, don’t count anyone out.  The two WRs could prove to be important weapons for Andrew Luck.  The team also took two RBs, Nyheim Hines is the small scatback who should play on third down and Jordan Wilkins is the bigger back you can use between the tackles.  With Marlon Mack and Robert Turbin, the likely top two backs, there is playing time to be had here.  This was a draft that is meant to build a foundation, it wasn’t flashy but it should help this team get better.

Jacksonville Jaguars

• Taven Bryan (29^th, 1^st)   DT   Florida
• DJ Chark (61^st, 2^nd)   WR   LSU
• Ronnie Harrison (93^rd, 3^rd)   S   Alabama
• Will Richardson (129^th, 4^th)   OT   North Carolina St.
• Tanner Lee (203^rd, 6^th)   QB   Nebraska
• Leon Jacobs (230^th, 7^th)   OLB   Wisconsin
• Logan Cooke (247^th, 7^th)   P   Mississippi St.

Immediate Impact:  P Logan Cooke

The Jaguars made the AFC title game last year because of the depth of their team and their strength on defense, it will be hard for any rookie to make an impact.  That is unless of course the team doesn’t have someone at your position.  On a team that has a suspect offense and a great defense a punter can actually make a difference because of field position.  I don’t know if Cooke is going to be great but the Jags don’t have a punter so it’s his job.

Best Value:  DT Taven Bryan

The Jags defense doesn’t need any help but Bryan was too good to pass up at 29^th overall.  He’s a versatile player who can play DT or DE and with Malik Jackson being very expensive and Calais Campbell being 31 years old Bryan is a nice investment for the future.  For now, he’s really good depth.

Sleeper:  OT Will Richardson

Richardson is a big guy with plenty of power and good pass blocking skills.  The Jags RT is Jeremy Parnell who is 31 so Richardson could be developed to eventually take his place.

Overall Analysis

The team split their seven draft picks three on offense, three on defense and one on special teams, that what a team that played in the AFC Championship game should do.  Second-round pick WR DJ Chark brings size and speed to a unit that lost Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns.  Chark wasn’t especially productive but that was probably as much about playing at LSU with their less than impressive cast of QBs.  He’s not a natural hands catcher but with Marqise Lee, Donte Moncrief, Keelan Cole and Dede Westbrook ahead of him he has time to work on it.  S Ronnie Harrison is either an in-the-box safety or a small LB but on this team he’s a special team’s guy and a backup.  In my opinion the Tanner Lee pick was a waste, even in the 6^th round he wasn’t worth a pick.  He’s the only QB pick in the draft worse than the Patriots taking Danny Etling.  LB Leon Jacobs might make the team as a backup but this defense is pretty solid.  P Logan Cooke has the job by default unless the Jags sign a veteran as competition before the season starts.  Cheap rookie punters are a nice luxury though when the rest of your team is expensive.

Tennessee Titans

• Rashaan Evans (22^nd, 1^st)   LB   Alabama
• Harold Landry (41^st, 2^nd)   OLB   Boston College
• Dane Cruikshank (152^nd, 5^th)   S   Arizona
• Luke Falk (199^th, 6^th)   QB   Washington St.

Immediate Impact:  LB Rashaan Evans

The team lost Avery Williamson in free agency and needed to get a tackler to replace him and they certainly did that.  Evans was a standout on Alabama’s defense and that’s saying something.  He immediately starts inside next to Wesley Woodyard and he brings youth and speed they need.

Best Value:  OLB Harold Landry

There were some who thought Landry could go in round one but his injury from last year slowed his progress and the Titans took advantage.  For this year he’ll be a nice pass rush specialist and back up Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan.  Next year he’s likely a starter as Orakpo is aging and both are free agents.

Sleeper: ????????

When you only have four draft picks there is no sleeper.

Overall Analysis

The smallest draft class of the year with only four picks actually came up with two good prospects at two need positions in Evans and Landry.  I’m sure the team would like to find someone to replace Jonathan Cyprien at SS but I don’t think 5^th round pick Dane Cruikshank is that guy but who knows I could be wrong.  QB Luke Falk put up huge numbers at Washington St. in Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense but he’s not much like starter Marcus Mariota so if the offense is designed for Mariota’s strengths that probably isn’t good for Falk.  What is good for Falk is that his competition to be the backup is Blaine Gabbert, although Gabbert has shown to be a solid backup QB at his last two stops Arizona and San Francisco.