2019 NFL Draft Roundup: Around the AFC South

With the 2019 NFL Draft in the books, it makes sense to take a look around the AFC South and see how the Colts’ divisional foes attacked their needs and the kinds of players they were able to land. I used our draft guide’s (did you know we had one of those?) team needs as well as our player evaluations in my analysis, because assigning draft grades at this point doesn’t mean all that much.

Without further ado, here is a look at how the division drafted:

Texans

Needs: OT, iOL, CB, RB, TE

Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Round 1 - Pick 23: Tytus Howard Offensive Tackle, Alabama State

Round 2 - Pick 54: Lonnie Johnson Jr., Cornerback, Kentucky

Round 2 - Pick 55: Max Scharping, Offensive Tackle, Northern Illinois

Round 3 - Pick 86: Kahale Warring, Tight End, San Diego State

Round 5 - Pick 161: Charles Omenihu, Defensive End, Texas

Round 6 - Pick 195: Xavier Crawford, Defensive Back, Central Michigan

Round 7 - Pick 220: Cullen Gillaspia, Fullback, Texas A&M

The Texans desperately needed help along their offensive line heading into this draft. They have been unable to protect Deshaun Watson, and Colts fans know better than most how big a problem that can become if you keep rolling the dice and getting your quarterback hit.

They attempted to address that by taking Tytus Howard with their first round pick and later selecting Max Scharping in the 2^nd. These guys are nearly polar opposites, with Howard being a high upside raw athlete and Scharping being a high effort guy with athletic limitations. The consensus is mostly that they reached for Howard with better options on the board, but if they manage to develop him he could be a very good addition to a line that desperately needs it.

They also took two defensive backs in this draft, Lonnie Johnson Jr. and Xavier Crawford. Johnson is a zone cover corner who possesses the athletic ability and size to be a quality part of the Texans defense. He struggles in press and can get turned around by proficient route runners, but he has the raw ability to be molded and grown as a player. Crawford is a small but quick corner who will give solid depth at the position but whose size may be an issue.

Rounds 3 and 5 saw them take tight end Kahale Warring and defensive end Charles Omenihu. Personally, I really like Kahale Warring, but he seems like an odd pick for this team in particular. For one, he is a very raw player, with a limited football background. It seems as though a team with as much talent as they have would be looking for guys who can be difference makers right away, and Warring likely is not that.

Omenihu is another interesting prospect. He is best suited to the interior defensive line as a 3-tech, and if that is where the Texans use him, he could be very successful as a disruptive force that takes advantage of the fact that offenses will have to deal with J.J. Watt and Clowney (maybe?) on the outside.

They drafted fullback Cullen Gillaspia with pick 220, but that hardly addresses their need for talent at the running back position.

Over all, this team needed to really knock this draft out of the park to stay on pace with the division, and I’m just not sure they did that.

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Titans

Needs: Edge, TE, iDL, WR

Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Round 1 – Pick 19: DI Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State

Round 2 – Pick 51: WR AJ Brown, Ole Miss

Round 3 – Pick 82: G Nate Davis, Charlotte

Round 4 – Pick 116: S Amani Hooker, Iowa

Round 5 – Pick 168: Edge D’Andre Walker, Georgia

Round 6 – Pick 188: LB David Long Jr., West Virginia

The Titans seem like a team poised to take a big step forward in 2019. They have made a lot of solid moves this offseason, and this draft fits right in with that trend.

With their first pick, they took defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. That pick could of course, blow up in their face, because his injury makes him a bit of an unknown, but I liked the pick. This is a player who would have been a top ten pick if not for his torn ACL in February. The Titans got him at 19, and I think they’ll be glad they did come 2020.

At pick 51 the Titans grabbed wide receiver A.J. Brown to provide a well-rounded weapon in the passing game. Brown is a solid route runner with good hands and quickness to make plays after the catch. He has the kind of consistency that translates well to the next level and should be able to make an immediate impact in a receiver room that was already greatly improved with the addition of Adam Humphries.

The selection of Nate Davis in the 3^rd might have been a bit of a reach, but he will make for a good developmental player who will benefit from the strength and conditioning an NFL team can provide. If he can refine his technique and improve his strength he could be a solid get for the Titans and help bolster their offensive line.

At pick 116, the Titans grabbed Amani Hooker to add to their already fairly talented defensive backs group. Hooker is a smart and versatile safety who could contribute as a nickel right away and grow into a role beyond that point. He has the kind of balls skills and instincts that will make him a great addition to the defense.

Linebackers D’Andre Walker and David Long both look like good gets for the Titans as well, Walker more suited to a OLB/DE role and Long as a stubborn undersized cover linebacker. Time will tell how this draft has improved this team, but they addressed several areas of concern and seem far better as a team than they were. The question remains as to what this team can expect to accomplish with Marcus Mariota under center.

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Jaguars

Needs: OT, iOL, TE, RB, WR

Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Round 1 – Pick 7: Edge Josh Allen, Kentucky

Round 2 – Pick 35: OT Jawaan Taylor, Florida

Round 3 – Pick 69: TE Josh Oliver, San Jose State

Round 3 – Pick 98: LB Quincy Williams, Murray State

Round 5 – Pick 140: RB Ryquell Armstead, Temple

Round 6 – Pick 178: QB Gardner Minshew, Washington State

Round 7 – Pick 235: DT Dontavius Russell, Auburn

The Jaguars are an odd case. They are a better team than they were in 2018, but probably not as good as they were in 2017. This draft was a bit of a mixed bag, but honestly I’m not sure they needed a home run to be a much better team than they were last year.

The selection of Josh Allen should immediately make this front seven the most horrifying group to face in the NFL. Seriously, good luck finding a defensive weakness. I am glad that is Frank Reich’s job, not mine, because it makes me a bit nauseous thinking about it.

Jawaan Taylor was graded out as a first round talent at tackle and should be a very good addition to Jacksonville’s offensive line. Conditioning could be a concern with him, but if the Jaguars keep him in shape, they just got a lot better along their offensive line.

While I really liked those first two picks, I am not a big fan of their selection of Josh Oliver. They opted to forego several better options like Jace Sternberger, Kahale Warring, and Dawson Knox, in favor of Oliver. Oliver has the potential to be a very good move tight end, but he is nowhere near ready to be a starting quality tight end, and Nick Foles really could have benefitted from having a player like Sternberger as a security blanket on an offense that is relatively toothless.

The Jags then reached for linebacker Quincy Williams, brother of Quinnen Williams. Given the depth of that position group, bringing in a possible developmental player is not a huge deal, and this team has proven to be good at developing defensive talent, so while this probably was rich for him, who am I to question it?

While this wasn’t necessarily a perfect draft, the Jaguars got better in several places. I still think they will struggle mightily to do much of anything on offense, given that they haven’t provided Nick Foles with much of anything in terms of offensive weapons. However, with a defense as good as theirs, they probably won’t have to do all that much anyway.