2014 NFL Draft Grades: AFC South

The Indianapolis Colts ran away with the 2013 AFC South title, but the free fall of the Houston Texans from two time division champ to 14 game losing streak was painful to watch. The Texans got the prize of the 1st Overall Selection of the 2014 draft, and they grabbed the biggest prize on the board. Houston Texans: A Best Pick: Jadeveon Clowney Late Round Sleeper: Tom Savage Clowney is a supreme talent, and with everyone questioning his motivation I see him playing with a huge chip on his shoulder. At least until he signs his second contract. But the Texans hit all the high notes with their picks at the Top of the draft. Xavier Su'a-Filo will be an anchor on the interior of the offensive line. C.J. Fiedorowicz is a big target but he excels as a run blocker. One of the biggest steals of the draft was Louis Nix falling into the middle of the third round. Many thought the Texans would select a quarterback early, but getting Tom Savage on Day 3 could be their long term solution to a shaky quarterback problem. Indianapolis Colts: C Best Pick: Donte Moncrief Late Round Sleeper: Ulrick John The Colts did not have a first round pick, as theirs was traded to Cleveland for Trent Richardson. The success of this draft class will be tied in to how well Richardson performs for the Clots. They can only hope it will be better than last year. Jack Mewhort is a tough-minded offensive lineman who could move inside for the Colts. Donte Moncrief could be a long term replacement to Reggie Wayne. Late round sleeper Ulrick John could also find some playing time on the offensive line. Jacksonville Jaguars: A+ Best Pick: Blake Bortles Late Round Sleeper: Storm Johnson The Jaguars hit the jackpot in the 2014 NFL Draft. They got their franchise quarterback in Blake Bortles. They got two excellent receivers to replace Justin Blackmon when they selected Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson in Round 2. They beefed up the offensive line with the picks of Brandon Linder and Luke Bowanko. The secondary got two talented prospects in Aaron Colvin and Telvin Smith, and the defense got a pass rusher in Chris Smith. The Jaguars final pick in the draft was Bortles teammate at Central Florida, Storm Johnson. Johnson could get a lot of reps in the backfield with the departure of Maurice Jones-Drew. Tennessee Titans: B Best Pick: Bishop Sankey Late Round Sleeper: Zach Mettenberger The Titans stuck to their Best Player Available philosophy and selected Taylor Lewan in Round 1. The Titans offensive line is deep but Lewan is too talented to have sit on the sidelines, and pairing him up with last years first rounder Chance Warmack will go a long way to aiding the development of Jake Locker. Second round pick Sankey looks to replace Chris Johnson in the starting backfield. DaQuan Jones will add depth to the defensive line. Getting Mettenberger late in the draft could be a top sleeper pick if Locker continues to struggle.

The Big Question Going Forward

Looking at the top of the 2014 NFL Draft, there is already a consensus of opinion forming in the draftnik ranks. It has the Houston Texans selecting Teddy Bridgewater 1st Overall, and the St. Louis Rams beefing up their offensive line with Jake Matthews going second. Houston needs a quarterback, and I'm sure that there will be a lot of jockeying for the 2nd pick from other teams in need. The Rams have Sam Bradford at quarterback, and they believe as I do that he can be the franchise signal caller they envisioned him to be with the first pick of the 2010 NFL Draft. They also have a pair of outstanding pass rushers in Chris Long and Robert Quinn, so even though a pick of Jadaveon Clowney added to the defense could happen at #2, I believe it will be another team making that pick with a trade. But if the Bridgewater/Matthews scenario holds, and you are the Jacksonville Jaguars, what move do you make? I brought up this in my previous blog, and if it comes to play it will be discussed for a long, long time. The Jaguars need a quarterback, but they have needed a pass rush for what seems like forever. Jacksonville was last in the NFL in sacks in 2013, and getting to the quarterback is just as important in the NFL today as having a franchise quarterback. Al Davis put it best when he once said 'The other team's quarterback must go down, and he must go down hard.' Many mock drafts are already slotting Blake Bortles from nearby Central Florida to the Jaguars. And the pick makes a lot of sense. But keep in mind that the Head Coach of Jacksonville is Gus Bradley, and he cut his NFL teeth building a nasty defense in Seattle, all the while being led on offense at quarterback by first Matt Hassleback, a veteran nearing the end of his days as a starter, then by Russell Wilson, a special talent but one that was a third round draft pick. I wonder if Bradley believes that he can catch the Wilson lightning in a bottle again. But I can see Bradley looking to piece together a defense along the lines of the one he coached in Seattle. To do so, he will need to beef up the pass rush, and I cannot see Jacksonville passing on Clowney if he is still available. The Jaguars have Chad Henne right now, and though no one is going to consider him a franchise quarterback, he did lead Jacksonville to four wins in the second half of the season, and he can steer the ship until a quarterback such as Zach Mettenberger or Tajh Boyd is ready to take the reins. This is going to be The Big Question Going Forward: Do you go for the sexy pick of quarterback at the top of the draft, or do you go for the smart pick? One thing that the history of the NFL Draft has shown us is that there is no such thing as a sure thing, but it has also shown us that the smartest drafters always benefit the most in the long run. Jacksonville was smart in 2013 with a draft that brought in Luke Joeckel, Jonathon Cyprien, Ace Sanders, and Dwayne Gratz. They would be smart again to keep building on the 2013 finish by adding Jadaveon Clowney if he is there at #3 and then to add a quarterback they can build on in Round 2.

TMG DraftZone 2013 NFL Draft Grades: AFC South

The Houston Texans were able to repeat as AFC South division champs in 2012, but the arrival of the 1st Overall pick in the 2012 Draft, Andrew Luck, put the Indianapolis Colts back on the map. Luck was everything he was advertised to be and even more. It looks like the AFC South is going to be a two team race for a long time. The Tennessee Titans are hoping that their first round pick in 2011, Jake Locker, can develop as well at the quarterback position and make the Titans a contender once again. The fourth team in the AFC South, Jacksonville, is not nearly as settled at quarterback as they would like to be. Blaine Gabbert was picked two spots after Locker, but he has the look of a journeyman signal caller. Chad Henne was brought in from Miami, but not many see him as the long term answer. I've been an advocate for the Jaguars bringing in Tim Tebow, but he needs to get a fair chance of winning the quarterback job instead of being the sideshow he was in New York with the Jets. I'd make the case right now that the best quarterback the Jaguars have is their 5th round pick this year, a player they selected to play running back, and that is Denard Robinson from Michigan. Any way you slice it, it could be a long year in Jacksonville. So here are the TMG DraftZone 2013 NFL Draft Grades for the AFC South, along with key selections and sleeper picks. Houston: B DeAndre Hopkins (WR) Sam Montgomery (DE) Hopkins is seen as the answer to giving Andre Johnson a running mate on the opposite side of the field, and if he can develop as teh Texans think he can, then it will open up the middle of the field even more for Arian Foster. The second round brought a tough, physical safety in D.J Swearinger, who should be able to make an impact right away in a secondary that still gives up too many yards. Montgomery fell down the draft boards after blurting out he took plays off in college, but he has the ability to be a very good edge rusher. With J.J. Watt on one side, Montgomery could be very effective for the Tecans. Indianapolis: B Hugh Thornton (G) Khaled Holmes (C) Bjoern Werner fell all the way to the Colts at #24, and he has a chance to thrive as the replacement to Dwight Freeney. Thornton was seen as a bit of a stretch pick, but the first priority for the Colts is to protect the franchise, and that is Andrew Luck. Thornton was the player the Colts pegged to do just that, and Holmes could eventually move into the center position. Holmes played most of last year injured, and even in the fourth round he will be a value pick. Jacksonville: B+ Luke Joeckel (T) Denard Robinson (QB) Whoever the Jaguars play at qaurterback, they will have the best player in the draft protecting his left side. Joeckel will be the anchor that the offensive line will build around, just as Jacksonville did when they were formed in 1995 when their very first pick was Tony Boselli. Johnathon Cyprien and Dwayne Gratz can form the foundation for a revamped secondary, and Ace Sanders is the speedy playmaker on the outside for the future. But it will be interesting to see if Robinson gets a chance to play quarterback. If he is seen as too small, then those critics should look at Russell Wilson. I watched Robinson play in college, and he isn't the prototypical quarterback, but he is a playmaker, and I would love to see him get a chance. Tennessee: B+ Justin Hunter (WR) Brian Schwenke (C) The Titans went to shore up their offensive line, and the found their man in Chance Warmack. They got the best guard in the draft, and for a protector for Locker and a road grater for Chris Johnson. Hunter will be a key pick. The Titans traded up to get him, and now Locker has an outside target to develop the passing game with. Blidi Wreh-Wilson was a value pick in Round 3, and Schwenke was as well in Round 4. Schwenke can team with Warmack to solidify the center of the offensive line for years to come.

AFC South Draft Grades: Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars had a shot at the AFC South title in 2010, but finished the season with three straight losses that led to an 8-8 record. The pass rush was one of the worst in the league, and with the multitude of defensive lineman who can get to the quarterback, the Jaguars had a chance to address that situation right away.

Jacksonville traded with Washington to move into the 10th overall slot, and with that pick the Jags picked the top rated quarterback of the draft in Blaine Gabbert. J.J. Watt and Nick Fairley were still on the board, and I'm sure many Jaguars fans are still scratching their heads. Yes, Gabbert has the potential to be a top quarterback, but Jacksonville has David Garrard under contract that was extended a couple years ago, and Gabbert does not look to move into the lineup right away. Will it pay off down the road? Most likely. Does trading up and giving away picks this year help the Jaguars in 2011? Not likely.

Trades left Jacksonville with only five picks in the 2011 Draft, and their second pick was in Round 3 with the selection of Will Rackley, a guard out of Lehigh. Rackley is a small school project, but he has the ability to develop into a quality lineman.

A late round sleeper looks to be Chris Prosinsik, a defensive back out of Wyoming selected in the 4th Round. Prosinski is a strong run support safety, and he should contribute on special teams right away.

Draft Grade: C-

Draft Grades: Jacksonville Jaguars

The first nine selections of the 2010 NFL Draft went as expected. Then the Jacksonville Jaguars went on the clock. Their pick was a head scratcher, and was the start of a puzzling draft.

It wasn't the selection of Tyson Alualu that was odd. Alualu is a talented player, who will be a starter from Day 1 with the release of John Henderson. What makes you wonder what the Jags were doing is that they could have traded down, accumulated extra picks, and still been able to get Alualu later in the first round. Jacksonville picked 10th, while the teams that picked 11th, 12th and 13th all traded up to those spots. It is reasonable to think that those teams could just have easily made a deal with Jacksonville, especially San Francisco, who moved up from the 13th pick. Alualu would have still been there for the Jags, and they would have gotten more picks later on.

Jacksonville used the rest of their picks to draft a new defensive line, taking DT D'Anthony Smith, and ends Larry Hart and Austen Lane. The offense finally got some help with the selection of Deji Karim in the 6th Round, who looks to be a backup to Maurice Jones-Drew.

A sleeper pick looks to be Scotty McGee, a kick returner who could add a new dimension to the special teams for Jacksonville.

Draft Grade: D+