2015 AFC South Grades

Jacksonville Jaguars

Grade: B

Best Pick: Round One-Dante Fowler Jr.-Outside Linebacker-Florida*

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been a snake bitten franchise lately which was evident by the 2015 National Football League Draft. The Jaguars used the third overall pick of the NFL Draft on outside linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. who was expected to be a huge part of their defense. But at Fowler’s first practice as Jaguars rookie camp, he suffered a torn ACL which will sideline him for the upcoming season.

The Jaguars selected running back T.J. Yeldon who should bring some explosion to their running game while their third round pick, guard A.J. Cann is a big ugly that will help Jacksonville get tougher in the trenches.

I still have Fowler as the best pick of this draft by the Jaguars due to his play making ability: we’ll just have to wait a little bit longer before we can see what he can do at the NFL level.

Houston Texans

Grade: A+

Best Pick: Round Three-Jaelen Strong-Wide Receiver-Arizona State

From the very outset of the 2015 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans aced it. The Texans have a strong defense and they were able to add to it with their first round selection of cornerback Kevin Johnson who should be able to contribute immediately in their secondary. The Texans selected inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney in the second round and he’ll tackle anything that moves. The Texans got a huge steal in the third round when they selected wide receiver Jaelen Strong. Strong should have been selected in the first round, but he fell to the third round which will add fuel to his fire as he now pursues his NFL career. Aside from Strong, the Texans got another steal in the seventh round when they selected running back Kenny Hilliard who should make this team out of training camp and provide some more depth in Houston’s backfield.

This strong draft by the Texans should help them on their drive for a playoff berth in the upcoming season.

Indianapolis Colts

Grade: B-

Best Pick: Round One-Phillip Dorsett-Wide Receiver-Miami

Fresh off of an appearance in the AFC Championship Game, the Indianapolis Colts came to the 2015 NFL Draft looking to find the players that would be able to help them take that next step in their pursuit of a Super Bowl Title. Speed is the name of the game and the Colts found some more in the first round when they selected wide receiver Philip Dorsett. Dorsett ran the fastest time at the NFL Combine this year which allowed him shoot up draft boards. Now Dorsett will team with another burner at wide receiver in Indianapolis by the name of T.Y. Hilton.

The Colts waited to the sixth round to address the running back position when they selected Mississippi State running back Josh Robinson who can be very shifty coming out of the backfield. Running backs began to come off of the board in the third and fourth rounds at a fast and furious pace, but the Colts failed to address their running back situation sooner which could come back to haunt them.

Tennessee Titans

Grade: B+

Best Pick: Round Two-Dorial Green-Beckham-Wide Receiver-Oklahoma

It would have been very hard for the Tennessee Titans to mess up their time at the 2015 NFL Draft and fortunately for the folks in Nashville, they didn’t. With the Titans owning the second overall pick of the draft, they went with quarterback Marcus Mariota as most people expected them to. Mariota played in the spread offense in college at the University of Oregon and now he must adjust to playing in more of a pro-style offense with the Titans.

The Titans got Mariota some help in the second round of the draft when they drafted wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham. Green-Beckham began his collegiate career at the University of Missouri before he was dismissed after several off-the-field issues. Green-Beckham then transferred to the University of Oklahoma where he sat out a year before deciding to declare for the 2015 NFL Draft. At 6’6″, 225 lbs., Green-Beckham has that rare combination of speed, strength, and pass catching ability which if he comes in focused, he can very quickly become a dominant player for the Titans.

The Titans would then select offensive tackle Jeremiah Poutasi in the third round who’ll be charged with protecting Mariota’s blindside. The Titans then selected running back David Cobb in the fifth round who could be a huge draft steal for them as he is workhorse as far as carrying the football. And if the Titans are once again going to become relevant in the AFC South, this draft could be a step in the right direction towards that.