With the 2016 NFL Draft behind us, it's time to take a look at how teams around the AFC South addressed their needs.
2016 NFL Draft grades: The Jaguars were the big AFC South winners this year
Analysts loved how Jacksonville made the most of its draft picks.
Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
The Houston Texans figured out their quarterback and running back dilemmas during free agency, adding former Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler and former Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Miller. The Texans needed a playmaker at receiver to help out DeAndre Hopkins, and tight end and center were also on their needs list heading into the draft.
Following a season that featured Matt Hasselbeck starting while Andrew Luck was sidelined with a lacerated kidney and torn abdominal muscles, the Indianapolis Colts needed some help along the offensive line. Defensively, Indianapolis needed to plan for life after Robert Mathis and Trent Cole. An aggressive young corner to help improve their coverage was also a need, too.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are coming off of a season so abysmal that there was rampant speculation that head coach Gus Bradley might be fired at the end of it. Defensively, the team regressed in 2015, and the Jags needed to upgrade talent in the front seven and the secondary.
The Tennessee Titans originally held the first overall pick, and they traded that to the Los Angeles Rams, allowing the Rams to take quarterback Jared Goff out of Cal. The Titans needed to focus on grabbing an offensive tackle, and defensively, the Titans needed to add a safety and some pass rush help.
How did the AFC South fare in this draft?
Houston Texans
The Texans addressed their need at wide receiver right away, grabbing Will Fuller out of Notre Dame with the 21st overall pick. The issue with Fuller is that he had a lot of dropped balls in college, which is a cause for concern for some analysts. Houston also addressed its need at center in the second round, swapping picks with the Atlanta Falcons to move up to select former Notre Dame center Nick Martin with the 50th overall pick. They added Braxton Miller, the former Ohio State quarterback who converted to wide receiver for his final season, in the third round. Overall, analysts mostly felt Houston did a good job of adding talent.
Dan Kadar, SB Nation - B+
Mel Kiper, ESPN - B+
Chad Reuter, NFL.com - B-
Chris Burke & Doug Farrar, SI - B
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports - B
Steve Palazzolo, PFF - C+
Indianapolis Colts
Analysts generally liked the Colts’ draft outcomes, particularly their decision to go for former Alabama center Ryan Kelly in the first round. Kelly fills a real need, and he was the best center available. They followed that up with tackle Le’Raven Clark out of Texas Tech in the third round and tackle Joe Haeg, who blocked for Carson Wentz at North Dakota State, in the fifth round. They added another center, Austin Blythe out of Iowa, in the seventh. The priority was the offensive line, and they added quite a bit of talent.
Dan Kadar, SB Nation - B
Mel Kiper, ESPN - B
Chad Reuter, NFL.com - A
Chris Burke & Doug Farrar, SI - B+
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports - A
Steve Palazzolo, PFF - C
Jacksonville Jaguars
Each year, there’s some team that wins the draft in analysts’ minds, and this year that team is the Jaguars. Jacksonville had serious defensive needs and it filled them with quality players at great value. With the fifth overall pick, they added the best cornerback in the draft, Jalen Ramsey out of Florida State. In the second round, the Jags got a steal with linebacker Myles Jack. Jack’s medical situation carries some risk, but as long as recent reports that he’ll be healthy enough to contribute are accurate, he’s an incredible value in the second round. The Jags made the most of their picks, and the grades reflect that.
Dan Kadar, SB Nation - B+
Mel Kiper, ESPN - A
Chad Reuter, NFL.com - A
Chris Burke & Doug Farrar, SI - A+
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports - A+
Steve Palazzolo, PFF - A
Tennessee Titans
Analysts' perspectives on the Titans' draft seemed to vary based on how strongly each analyst felt about Tennessee's decision to pass on offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil in the first, opting instead for Jack Conklin out of Michigan State. Conklin is a good tackle, and he fills a need and protects Tennessee's investment in second-year quarterback Marcus Mariota, but Conklin isn't as good as Tunsil, who fell all the way to No. 13 and was selected by the Miami Dolphins. Overall, most analysts thought Tennessee drafted well.
Dan Kadar, SB Nation - B
Mel Kiper, ESPN - A-
Chad Reuter, NFL.com - A
Chris Burke & Doug Farrar, SI - B+
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports - C-
Steve Palazzolo, PFF - B-
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