Houston Texans
- (26) Keylan Rutledge G/C Georgia Tech
- (36) Kayden McDonald DT Ohio St.
- (59) Marlin Klein TE Michigan
- (106) Febechi Nwaiwu OL Oklahoma
- (123) Wade Woodaz LB Clemson
- (141) Kamari Ramsey S USC
- (204) Lewis Band WR Boston College
- (243) Aiden Fisher LB Indiana
Immediate Impact: G/C Keylan Rutledge, DT Kayden McDonald
Rutledge was the late rising interior offensive lineman that a lot of teams liked who has guard/center versatility. The Texans have been trying to upgrade their offensive line this offseason with LG Wyatt Teller and RG Braden Smith, one spot that could still use an upgrade is center. Rutledge doesn’t have game experience there, but he has the skills. His size gives him an advantage over incumbent center Jake Andrews and the Texans want to be a more physical team up front. McDonald was drafted for the same reason on the defensive side. As good as the Texans’ defense has been, they haven’t had a run-stuffing DT like McDonald in a while. He’s an elite power player in the middle of the line and he’ll make the Texans’ defense even better.
Best Value: McDonald
McDonald is an elite run defender, and he absolutely should have been a first-round pick. He didn’t have to wait long into the second round, and the Texans made a move up for him for a reason. He could start alongside Sheldon Rankins, and he will be heavily in the rotation on early downs.
Sleeper: S Kamari Ramsey
Ramsey played a lot of nickel at USC last season, and he wasn’t very good at it, that’s why he fell to round five. Luckily for him, the Texans have Jalen Pitre at nickel and Ramsey can go back to being more a traditional safety. They have starters in Callen Bullock and Reed Blankenship, but Ramsey should contribute as a rotational guy and he has some long-term upside.
Overall Analysis
The first two picks were homeruns considering what this team needed, two tone setters, one on each side of the line. They got tougher and stronger. Neither one is guaranteed to start but both will absolutely be given every opportunity to do so. The other second-round pick they had, TE Marlin Klein, was a big swing but is far from a homerun. He might be a good blocker but there’s no guarantee he gets any playing time. They have veterans who will play ahead of him, even if he can block.
The next guy they took was Febechi Nwaiwu, the offensive lineman from Oklahoma. He has some versatility but he’s not exactly a guarantee to even make this roster given some of their other additions. There were better offensive linemen on the board, he was a reach. Woody Woodaz has a great name for a LB, and they could use the depth. Ramsey was a nice upside play in the fifth round. WR Lewis Bond comes into a very crowded group and unless he distinguishes himself in the return game, he’s destined for the practice squad. I love the Aidan Fisher pick in the last round. He may lack the athleticism to stand out in the NFL but he’s a leader and he’s going to work his butt off every day.
Indianapolis Colts
- (53) CJ Allen LB Georgia
- (78) AJ Haulcy S LSU
- (113) Jalen Farmer OG Kentucky
- (135) Bryce Boettcher LB Oregon
- (156) George Gumbs Jr. Edge Florida
- (214) Caden Curry Edge Ohio St.
- (237) Seth McGowan RB Kentucky
- (254) Deion Burks WR Oklahoma
Immediate Impact: LB CJ Allen, S AJ Haulcy
The Colts didn’t have a first-round pick because of the Sauce Gardner trade and yet they got two starters with their first two picks in rounds two and three. LB was the biggest need on the team, and they got one of the better immediate starters in CJ Allen. I liked Allen more than most, but he was always going to be a starter fairly quickly no matter where he went. He’s a godsend here, he can lead this defense. Haulcy becomes the SS without much question. He replaces Nick Cross and will make a nice partner with Cam Bynum. The team defense got better up the middle with these two.
Best Value: Haulcy
Haulcy only wins over Allen as the best value because he was a third-round pick while Allen went in round two. Allen was drafted slightly lower than he should have been but Haulcy went about a round later than he should have. He’s an immediate starter and probably an upgrade over Nick Cross, that’s great value in round three.
Sleepers: LB Bryce Boettcher, WR Deion Burks
The Colts LB group is rough and while Allen walks in as a starter, Boettcher will also have a chance to win starting job and at least be heavily involved in the rotation. He’s not the biggest guy but he doesn’t need to be, Allen is the power player. Boettcher can compete to be the weakside backer, Akeem Davis-Gaither isn’t really getting in the way. Burks is also a smaller player but he’s a 4.3 guy at WR and they could use the juice. He can be a nice complement to Josh Downs and Alec Pierce.
Overall Analysis
For a team without a first-round pick, the Colts might have had the best overall draft. Allen is a starter and I think he can be one of the best MLBs in the league. I don’t think AJ Haulcy is going to be one of the best safeties in the league but he’s a legitimate starter. OG Jalen Farmer is a great developmental interior offensive lineman. This team has been pretty good at developing offensive linemen, so he was an excellent choice. Boettcher is another guy with starting potential.
They needed help on the edge and while they could have looked for help earlier, George Gumps Jr. and Caden Curry are pretty good players considering where they were picked. Gumps is a smaller guy who has a good all-around game. Curry is a relentless player who does a good job in the run game even though he has historically short arms. There’s no quit in Curry.
RB Seth McGowan was a nice pickup for a team that could use some depth behind Jonathan Taylor. DJ Giddens doesn’t move the needle; McGowan brings some skills. It’s a little insane that Deion Burks lasted until the end of round seven. He may be small but he’s an elite playmaker and gives the offense another guy who can take the ball the distance.
Jacksonville Jaguars
- (56) Nate Boerkircher TE Texas A&M
- (81) Albert Regis DT Texas A&M
- (88) Emmanuel Pregnon OG Oregon
- (100) Jalen Huskey S Maryland
- (119) Wesley Williams Edge Duke
- (164) Tanner Koziol TE Houston
- (191) Josh Cameron WR Baylor
- (203) CJ Williams WR Stanford
- (233) Zach Durfee Edge Washington
- (240) Parker Hughes LB Middle Tennessee St.
Immediate Impact: ??????
This is the most inexplicable draft of all. They didn’t have a first-round pick after the Travis Hunter trade from last year’s draft. Then they used their first pick on a blocking TE and the next pick on a guy they hope is a developmental DT.
Best Value: OG Emmanuel Pregnon
Pregnon was a guy who had some first-round buzz but always felt like a second-round pick. They Jaguars got him in round three. If they hadn’t just signed Ezra Cleveland and Patrick Makari to new contracts last season, he might have a chance to have an impact. For now, he’s just an excellent backup and a long-term answer at OG.
Sleepers: TE Tanner Koziol, WR Josh Cameron
Koziol isn’t the blocker Boerkircher is but he’s a lot better receiver and he can be a weapon in the pass game given his height and catch radius. He’ll likely never be a great blocker, but I like him better because he can block a little and give you real value in the pass game. Cameron can be the fourth WR on this team and if Brian Thomas Jr. doesn’t come out of his slump, the team may need a bigger bodied guy on the outside to replace him, that could be Cameron.
Overall Analysis
GM James Gladstone seems to think he’s going to outthink everyone, and he takes some guys that just don’t make sense where he drafts them. Taking Boerkircher as the third TE off the board was a bit much, there were better TEs. There were also better players who filled bigger needs; S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and LB Anthony Hill Jr. to name two. Then he took DT Albert Regis, not a bad player but what role does he fill? He’s a bit undersized but isn’t a pass rusher. If you wanted a run stuffer, Dominique Orange went one pick later, and if you want pass rusher at DT, Gracen Halton and Kaleb Proctor were on the board. Pregnon was his best pick and yet, he’s not likely to beat out the veterans you already have.
S Jalen Huskey played CB and safety in college, versatility is nice unless it means you don’t actually have a position. They needed an upgrade at safety, Huskey doesn’t give them one. If they wanted a bigger nickel player, Keionte Scott and Jalen Kilgore were both still available. Wesley Williams has a chance to be part of the edge rotation but there were better players on the board. I like the Tanner Koziol pick, he’s good value and has upside as both a pass catcher and a blocker at TE.
The Josh Cameron pick was a good one too, he’s a value at that spot and should stick on this roster. Following that up with WR CJ Williams was not a good use of that pick. Williams might not have been drafted, and they could have had Deion Burks, his is a skill set you could use. The two seventh-round picks, Zach Durfee and Parker Hughes, are not making the roster.
Tennessee Titans
- (4) Carnell Tate WR Ohio St.
- (31) Keldric Faulk Edge Auburn
- (60) Anthony Hill Jr. LB Texas
- (142) Fernando Carmona OL Arkansas
- (165) Nick Singleton RB Penn St.
- (184) Jackie Marshall DT Baylor
- (194) Pat Coogan C Indiana
- (225) Jaren Kanak TE Oklahoma
Immediate Impact: WR Carnell Tate, LB Anthony Hill Jr.
The Titans lack anything resembling a WR1 and while I don’t think Tate actually is one, he’ll play one for this team. Cam Ward needs a go-to receiver and Tate can handle himself, he’s Ohio St.-trained, they don’t come better than that. Hill is exactly what Robert Saleh wants in a LB, he runs like a gazelle and he doesn’t miss tackles. He may never be Fred Warner, that’s a high bar, but he can be Dre Greenlaw.
Best Value: C Pat Coogan
The Titans cut Lloyd Cushenberry because he was always hurt and signed Austin Schlottmann who played for OC Brian Daboll last year with the Giants. Schlottmann is a journeyman if I ever saw one, Coogan started for Indiana last year and won a national championship. Coogan is a bit bigger, and I think he wins the starting center job early on.
Sleeper: RB Nick Singleton
Singleton dealt with injuries last year and watched Kaytron Allen take over as the lead back at Penn St. He needs to be more consistent with his reads, finding the hole, and following his blocks, but he’s 219 lbs. and runs 4.35 in the 40. Last year was a mess at Penn St., and not just for Singleton. If he can find some consistency, he could replace Tony Pollard as the lead back in a year or two.
Overall Analysis
I can’t say I agreed with taking Carnell Tate fourth overall, I just don’t see him as a WR worth that high of a pick. If they had known Denzel Boston was going to fall to round two, would they have taken an edge rusher, Arvell Reese or Rueben Bain, and then taken Boston? They traded back into round one to get DE Keldric Faulk instead. Having Reese or Bain plus Boston instead of Tate and Faulk feels like more value and they wouldn’t have had to trade back into round one. I love the Anthony Hill Jr. pick; he’s going to slot in at MLB and upgrade that level of the defense.
After the first three picks in the first two rounds, they had to wait until round five to pick again, partly due to trading back into round one for Faulk, that’s lost value. OG Fernando Carmona was solid choice and gives them some options at OG. The Singleton pick was a bet on a guy who has elite physical traits. Singleton also brings value as an elite kickoff return guy, with the dynamic kickoff rules in the NFL, that’s helpful.
DT Jackie Marshall is probably just a body on the interior of the defensive line. Pat Coogan can start for this team, they actually need him to start if they want to improve the offensive line. TE Jaren Kanak has a hill to climb. It’s not an insurmountable hill, the Titans’ TEs are a middling group at best. He could find a role, but he will have to outperform some veterans for that opportunity.
The Hott Read 