OTAs and minicamp are over, and we are now in the dark period of the NFL calendar before training camp. The 2019 NFL Draft has come and gone, and now it’s time to get in to the picks. I dig in to the selections and analyze if the team made the right picks, addressed their needs, ignored their needs, reached for a player, etc. I get in to all that and much more in this series. Let’s continue with the AFC South.
Houston Texans
Selections: Round 1: OT Tytus Howard; Round 2: CB Lonnie Johnson Jr., OT Max Scharping; Round 3: TE Kahale Warring; Round 5: DE Charles Omenihu; Round 6: CB Xavier Crawford; Round 7: FB Cullen Gillaspia
Analysis: The Texans had a very interesting draft, and post draft. I really like what they did, addressed their top needs and made great picks based on those needs. Six weeks later, they fired general manager Brian Gaine less than two years into the job. This was a roster with a bunch of holes, and he barely had a chance to make an impact. He was given little draft capital his first draft in 2018, but did a fine job in his second and final draft in 2019.
With their first pick, the Texans selected offensive tackle Tytus Howard with the 23rd overall selection. Deshaun Watson was the most-sacked quarterback in 2018, some were self-inflicted, but the poor play of the offensive line definitely did not help. They had a revolving door at every position on the line except center, so they needed help everywhere. The Eagles jumped ahead of them to the 22nd pick and took Andre Dillard, one pick before their selection of Howard. It will remain unknown whether or not the Texans were targeting Dillard, or Howard was their man all along, but either way, the Texans got a starting tackle, and addressed their top position of need. They also took another tackle in Max Scharping in the second round, so they definitely knew tackle was their top need and you can never have too many offensive lineman.
With their second round pick, the Texans selected Lonnie Johnson Jr. The Texans will have a new look secondary in 2019 after losing Kareem Jackson, Tyrann Mathieu, and Andre Hal, and then signing Bradley Roby, Tashaun Gipson, and Jahleel Addae. Johnson will join that secondary filled with veterans and give them a younger look. He’ll look to be a starting corner alongside Roby and Johnathan Joseph.
The other pick I want to highlight is third round tight end Kahale Warring. On the night of day two of the draft, now former Texans tight end Ryan Griffin was arrested for public intoxication and for punching a hotel window. My immediate reaction was that Griffin was watching the draft, saw the Warring pick, got mad, and broke the window. He was released a few weeks later, so that opens the door for Warring to climb the depth chart with last year’s draft selections Jordan Thomas and Jordan Akins.
Conclusion: The Texans have been known for having a dominant defense the past decade with a mediocre offense. Now the offense has caught up with the defense and has a chance to be one of the most electrifying in the league, led by Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins. The offensive line improvements should help Watson, as his development is key to the franchise, and the running game really needs to improve. Lamar Miller is a good player, but he’s in the final year of his contract, and D’Onta Foreman needs to bounce back from an injury-filled first two seasons. The problem for the Texans offense has been health, as Will Fuller cannot stay healthy, but when he’s healthy, him and Hopkins are a deadly duo.
The defense still is dominant, although it has taken some hits and lost several members of the secondary, but they still have J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, Whitney Mercilus, and Benardrick McKinney. There’s no reason why this defense can’t carry the team if for some reason the offense falters. If the Texans can stay healthy, with this new-look offensive line, they have no reason to fail.
Indianapolis Colts
Selections: Round 2: CB Rock Ya-Sin, LB Ben Banogu, WR Parris Campbell; Round 3: LB Bobby Okereke; Round 4: S Khari Willis; Round 5: S Marvell Tell III, LB E.J. Speed; Round 6: DE Gerri Green; Round 7: OT Jackson Barton, C Javon Patterson
Analysis: The Colts just can’t do anything wrong right now, they just can’t. They had an amazing draft last year, followed by a great season, went in to free agency with the most money and spent it wisely, then had another great draft. You may be wondering, how can they have a great draft, they traded out of the first round? Well yes they did, but what they did with those picks, and how well they moved around the board, really captivated the football nerd in me. The Colts traded out of the first round with the Redskins (Montez Sweat) and acquired their second rounder in 2019 and another in 2020. They traded back three spots with the Browns, and got an additional fourth rounder, giving their total to three second rounders, including their own and the pick acquired from the Jets in the trade up for Sam Darnold last year. The Colts seem to do their best work in the second round, as they had four last year, which included defensive rookie of the year Darius Leonard. The Colts have quickly become one of my favorite teams, outside of the Patriots of course. Well enough of me drooling over the Colts roster building ability, let’s dig in to the picks.
The Colts defense was one of the most improved units in the league in 2018. I highlighted in my offseason analysis, the Colts need for help in the secondary . They re-signed Pierre Desir and Clayton Geathers, and recently gave a big extension to former Patriots undrafted slot corner Kenny Moore, who has quickly become a vital part of that defense. Still looking for help in the secondary, the Colts drafted Rock Ya-Sin with the 34th pick. There was no clear-cut top corner in the draft, but Ya-Sin was up there and could have easily gone in the first round. He’ll likely earn the starting job alongside Desir and Moore, as former second-rounder Quincy Wilson has been bust. Love the pick.
With their second second-round pick, the Colts took linebacker Ben Banogu. Darius Leonard was a stud last season, but there wasn’t much depth behind him, so they double-dipped on the second day of the draft with Banogu and Bobby Okereke, not to mention E.J. Speed in the fifth.
Their final second round pick was a rare offensive selection for the Colts this year, and boy was it a good one. Parris Campbell ran a 4.31-40 at the combine, the fastest for a receiver and third overall. Pairing him with T.Y. Hilton is going to be dangerous, and Andrew Luck is going to have fun throwing deep to these two.
Conclusion: I can’t say enough good things about the Colts, they just keep making smart moves and are building a championship roster. Their draft last year produced two All-Pros and several starters. This year, it was about solidifying depth while adding some potential starters. Ya-Sin and Campbell will likely get the most starting snaps, while Banogu and Okereke will likely start as rotational players and could earn starting jobs. They also built depth in the secondary with Khari Willis and Marvell Tell as Clayton Geathers and Malik Hooker have had recent injury issues. I’d also like to point out that the Colts by far had the best names in the draft: Rock Ya-Sin, Marvell Tell, E.J. Speed; can’t get a much better group than that.
The Colts have quickly become one of my favorite teams, and this was one of my favorite drafts of 2019, easily top three. The roster is basically set, and this draft only made them better and solidified its depth. Their quarterback is healthy and playing like an MVP and the offense around him will play great. The defense has improved greatly, and if they can limit offenses, the Colts are primed to be the favorites of the AFC South.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Selections: Round 1: OLB Josh Allen; Round 2: OT Jawaan Taylor; Round 3: TE Josh Oliver, LB Quincy Williams; Round 5: RB Ryquell Armstead; Round 6: QB Gardner Minshew; Round 7: DT Dontavius Russell
Analysis: The Jaguars had a disappointing 2018 season, and had a ton of roster turnover this offseason, They cut ties with several veteran players, including Blake Bortles and Malik Jackson, and made a key addition on Nick Foles. They followed up a big free agency with a great draft, selecting players many believed would not be available at the time of the selections.
With the seventh pick, the Jaguars selected edge rusher Josh Allen. Allen was projected to go top five, as high as second overall, but unexpected fell in to the Jaguars laps, and they could not pass up on the opportunity. Allen will join a pass rush that traded away Dante Fowler last season and has Yannick Ngakoue in a contract year. With the addition of Allen, the Jaguars should become “Sacksonville” once again.
In the second round, the Jaguars selected a player who by some was a projected top 10 pick and best offensive lineman in the draft, Jawaan Taylor. He was mocked in several drafts to go to the Jaguars with the seventh pick, but like Allen, he was unexpectedly available, so they traded up three spots to take him. The Jaguars have had terrible injury luck to go along with poor o-line play, and Taylor should slot right in at right tackle with Cam Robinson at left tackle.
The last player I want to hit on is Quincy Williams, their third round pick. Older brother of Quinnen (third overall to Jets), Williams was so unknown that NFL Network had nothing prepared to say about the guy. Quote from Daniel Jeremiah: “400 players I worked on, Quincy was not one of the guys that I did”. He was projected to go undrafted, and literally no one had heard of him. Quinnen went on Good Morning Football and didn’t even mention he had a brother. Could be one of the biggest busts of the draft, or it could work out. Plenty of undrafted players end up being Pro Bowlers, so we’ll see how this works out.
Conclusion: One word that I would use to describe the Jaguars draft: unexpected. No one expected Josh Allen to slip to the seventh pick, no one expected Jawaan Taylor to fall out of the first round, and no one expected Quincy Williams to even be drafted. This was such a weird draft for the Jaguars, but I thought they did a pretty good job. They addressed a big need with Taylor, and got the best player available in Allen. Not to mention third rounder Josh Oliver, who will look to earn a spot on the tight end depth chart, as that position is wide open, and Foles loves to throw to tight ends. The only position I feel they should have addressed was safety. They parted ways with last year’s starters Barry Church and Tashaun Gipson, and their starters right now are Ronnie Harrison and Jarrod Wilson. I expect them to add one of the several veteran free agents still out there.
The Jaguars 2018 season was a disappointment, but are primed for a bounce-back season. The offense should be improved under Foles, the receivers aren’t great but I trust Foles can make them look good. Fournette was a major disappointment last season, and they need him to get going. The defense is still good, despite not having Telvin Smith for 2019, and it got better with the addition of Allen. With these changes, the Jaguars should be competitive yet again in the AFC.
Tennessee Titans
Selections: Round 1: DT Jeffery Simmons; Round 2: WR A.J. Brown; Round 3: G Nate Davis; Round 4: S Amani Hooker; Round 5: LB D’Andre Walker; Round 6: LB David Long Jr.
Analysis: The Titans have been teasing their potential for years now, but have not been able to put anything together. They’ve been building their roster, little by little, and every year they get a little bit closer, but it’s been taking a while. Their 2017 draft was one of my favorites as they addressed several needs with Corey Davis, Adoree’ Jackson, Taywan Taylor, Jonnu Smith, and Jayon Brown. Last year’s draft only had four selections, but their first two, really the only notable ones, in Rashaan Evans and Harold Landry, were great picks. They followed suit with only six picks in 2019 with some interesting selections.
With the 19th pick, the Titans selected defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Simmons was a projected top 10 pick, but while training for the draft, he tore his ACL and lowered his draft stock, but not enough for him to slip out of the first round. The Titans have had issues on their defensive line in recent years, outside of Jurrell Casey, and they just lost Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan. Simmons will now pair with the Pro Bowler Casey, likely in 2020, in a rebuilding Titans defense.
The Titans next pick was a wide receiver from Ole Miss, and no not D.K. Metcalf, but A.J. Brown. The Titans have a very young receiving core, and Brown will be a nice addition. Brown has few weaknesses, he’s a perfect size for a receiver at 6′-0″, 225 lbs; fast with a 4.49 40-time, great hands, crisp routes, and can block.
Conclusion: The Titans have been building their roster piece by piece for years now, and they have to be ready by now. The offense isn’t bad with a young receiving core in Brown, Corey Davis, Taywan Taylor, and Tajae Sharpe with Adam Humphries coming over from Tampa. Davis is primed for a breakout year in 2019, and Humphries will provide Marcus Mariota that security blanket. The defense has been rebuilding too, with all new linebackers, and a secondary filled with veterans and young playmakers.
The time is now for the future of the Tennessee Titans. They’ve been rebuilding for years now and have flirted with the playoffs, but have not had any success. Mariota needs to have a great year as he will be a free agent after the season, and Tennessee has to decide whether he is their franchise quarterback. It’s now or never.
Football Nerds 