Houston Texans
Grade: B+
Best Pick: Jadeveon Clowney-Defensive End-South Carolina
Having the first overall pick of the National Football League Draft is not always a good thing and the Houston Texans found that out the hard way this year. South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney was the best player available, but the Texans needed a quarterback which made Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel along Central Florida quarterback Blake Bortles extremely intriguing for them in round one.
The Texans stuck to the board and selected Clowney. Clowney will join a defense that is loaded with play makers such as defensive end J.J. Watt and cornerback Johnathan Joseph. In his last year in college all Clowney heard about was his lack of motivation, but now that he will be getting paid for his services it would not surprise me if he were to be the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year for the upcoming season.
The Texans had the first pick of the second round and Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr was available, but they passed on him in favor of UCLA guard Xavier Su’a-Filo. In 2002, the Texans selected Carr’s older brother David as their first pick in franchise history. The biggest mistake that the Texans made with David Carr was that they started a rookie quarterback on an expansion team and he was never able to rebound from the beating that he took in his first few years. If the Texans had drafted Derek Carr he would have continuously heard about his big brother from the Houston media so you could understand the thought process there.
In the third round the Texans were able to add some more beef on the defensive line in Notre Dame defensive tackle Louis Nix as you always need a nose tackle in the 3-4 defensive scheme that requires to be double and triple teamed.
The Texans finally selected a quarterback in the fourth round when they selected Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage. Savage is a project, but for new Texans head coach Bill O’Brien this is the kind of quarterback that he likes for his system as he is 6’5″ with some upside.
The Texans lost running back Ben Tate in free agency which wasn’t lost on team general manager Rick Smith who drafted LSU running back Alfred Blue in the sixth round. Texans starting running back Arian Foster is coming off of back surgery and it is important for Houston to have some depth behind him.
The last two teams that entered the NFL Draft with the first overall pick went on to make the playoffs in the following season which is something that is not lost on Smith and O’Brien.
Indianapolis Colts
Grade: D
Best Pick: Donte Moncrief-Wide Receiver-Ole Miss
At first when the Indianapolis Colts acquired running back Trent Richardson from the Cleveland Browns last season it appeared as the deal was worth the 2014 first round pick that Indy surrendered to Cleveland. But as the season went on Richardson was stuck in first gear and he only gained 458 yards on the ground for the Colts.
Without a first round pick, Colts general manager Ryan Grigson still had an opportunity to get impact players, but he simply dropped the ball. The only player that the Colts drafted this year that has a true chance to make an impact on this team is their third round pick in Ole Miss wide receiver Donte Moncrief and that is mainly due to the fact that he now will be playing with quarterback Andrew Luck.
The Colts have gotten back to being a playoff team, but Luck cannot do everything by himself.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Grade: A
Best Pick: Allen Robinson-Wide Receiver-Penn State
Entering the NFL Draft the Jacksonville Jaguars had so many different needs to improve their football team that is was hard for them to mess it up and they didn’t. Most people were shocked when the Jaguars used the third overall pick of the draft on Central Florida quarterback Blake Bortles, but I wasn’t as in my final mock draft I had him going to Jacksonville. Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley is entering his second season in Jacksonville and he is hopeful that he found his franchise quarterback in Bortles. Bortles is still a bit raw, but he can make all of the throws; it is just a matter of everyone in Jacksonville (including Bortles) being on the same page in order for him to become a polished NFL quarterback.
The Jaguars came into the draft knowing that there was an extremely high possibility that starting wide receiver Justin Blackmon could be suspended by the NFL for the entire 2014 season. The Jags owned two second round picks and both were used on wide receivers. The first was used on USC wide receiver and the second on Penn State wide receiver Allen Robinson. Lee is a burner that has a future in the NFL as a slot receiver while Robinson is a tremendous performer in space.
Bradley and Jaguars general manager David Caldwell did a good job drafting this spring and they might have found a huge bargain in the seventh round when Bortles’ college teammate in running back Storm Johnson was tabbed by them.
Brick by brick you are going to see an improved football team in the Jaguars.
Tennessee Titans
Grade: B-
Best Pick: Bishop Sankey-Running Back-Washington
Under new head coach Ken Whisenhunt, the Tennessee Titans are beginning anew. The Titans came into the 2014 NFL Draft owning the 11th overall pick. The Titans had a stout offensive line last season, but Whisenhunt decided to select Michigan offensive tackle Taylor Lewan in the first round. Lewan was a two-time All-American that has the look of a player that will anchor the offensive line in Nashville for the years to come. This off-season the Titans released running back Chris Johnson and they replaced him in the draft with University of Washington running back Bishop Sankey. In Sankey’s last two years in college he rushed for over 3,300 yards and he will be someone that the Titans can count on.
The sixth round saw the Titans select LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger. Mettenberger suffered a knee injury last November against Arkansas that has relegated him to a spectator ever since. The Titans did not pick up the option on starting quarterback Jay Locker’s contract and Mettenberger could be a future safety net.
This draft was the first step that Whisenhunt and Titans general manager Ruston Webster will take in building this football team.
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