The 2020 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 also talk about any moves that have been made since free agency. I get in to all that and much more in this series. Let’s continue with the AFC South.
Houston Texans
Selections:
Round 2: DT Ross Blacklock
Round 3: OLB Jonathan Greenard
Round 4: OT Charlie Heck, CB John Reid
Round 5: WR Isaiah Coulter
*First-round pick traded to Dolphins for OT Laremy Tunsil
Analysis: What a rough offseason it’s been for the Texans. Trading away your best player, the best receiver in the league, and not getting a much needed first-round pick. I’m really hating Bill O’Brien, mainly as the general manager, not so much the coach, the O’Brien to GM is hot garbage. There’s a reason coaches and GMs are separate jobs. The relationship between a player and a coach can get tense, and there was reported tension between Hopkins and O’Brien, and O’Brien got power crazy and let his emotions cloud his judgement and put himself over the team and shipped off their best player and couldn’t even get a first-round pick in return. He did get a second-rounder, but traded their original second-rounder to the Rams for Brandin Cooks, so they only got one second. O’Brien is digging his own grave and he has the hottest seat of any head coach in the league. He’s just not good, and the Texans really blew it. But I digress, let’s actually talk about the picks.
With their first pick, they selected defensive tackle Ross Blacklock, who some projected as a late-first, early second, so this is an appropriately slotted selection. I also love the pick as it fills a major need on the Texans defensive line. After losing D.J. Reader to the Bengals, they desperately needed to fill that role, both as a 4-3 tackle or 3-4 end.
Not too much else to talk about with the other picks, just some nice depth options who could emerge as starters. They really need depth at pass rush behind Whitney Mercilus, and hopefully Greenard can provide that. Same with offensive tackle, cornerback, and wide receiver.
Conclusion: While they didn’t (couldn’t) get a first-round pick, the Texans made some decent picks with what they had. The filled a major starting need and built some depth, not the best draft but not at all bad. But the state of the Houston Texans is not all that better. They lost Hopkins, but gained Cooks, Randall Cobb, and David Johnson in the offseason. On paper, gaining those guys is really good, but considering they lost D-Hop, it’s a downgrade. The front office can try all they want to make up for that trade, but I don’t think anything will make it up to the fans.
Indianapolis Colts
Selections:
Round 2: WR Michael Pittman Jr., RB Jonathan Taylor
Round 3: S Julian Blackmon
Round 4: QB Jacob Eason
Round 5: G Danny Pinter
Round 6: DT Robert Windsor, CB Isaiah Rodgers, WR Dezmon Patmon, OLB Jordan Glasgow
Analysis: The past few years, I’ve been drooling over the moves the Colts front office has made and how well they’ve approached the draft and free agency. They are not too particularly active in signing a bunch of guys in free agency, but more of being smart and patient and making the right moves. I think of the Justin Houston signing last year, he was cut a few days before free agency, and then the Colts pulled the trigger and he signed a week after FA started. That’s being patient and getting the right guys. Similar approach to the draft, last year, they traded out of the first and selected three guys in the second, a year after trading back in the first in 2018 and getting Quenton Nelson, the best guard in the NFL. They used the other picks they acquired in that trade to get their starting right tackle Braden Smith and pass rusher Kemoko Turay in the second, while also selecting Darius Leonard in that round as well, and he’s pretty good.
Fast forward to this year, when I talk about making smart moves and pulling the trigger, they did so with the DeForest Buckner acquisition, giving up big draft capital, a first-round pick, to get a young established elite starter at a premier position. They had done so much trading back and acquiring picks the past several drafts, it was their turn to made the big trade. They do their best work in the second, so they were fine with giving up that first, especially to get a player like Buckner. So kudos to the Colts on that patient approach and finally being the one’s on that side of the trade for once. With that all out of the way, let’s get into the picks.
With two second-round picks, they selected wide receiver Michael Pittman and running back Jonathan Taylor. Let’s start with Pittman. The big receiver out of USC, fills a massive need as a big jump ball redzone target for Philip Rivers that they couldn’t get in Devin Funchess in 2019. He fits the profile of a receiver in Los Angeles in Mike Williams, a former target of Rivers, at 6′-4″ 220 lbs, and figures to compliment the speed of T.Y. Hilton and Parris Campbell. Love this pick, fills a need and in a draft filled with receivers, got the type of player they really needed for this offense.
The Jonathan Taylor pick is an interesting one. Taylor no doubt is a very talented back and is ready to be a full-time starter, but what puzzles me is the Colts selection of him. They already have a pretty full running backs room with Marlon Mack, Nyheim Hines, and Jordan Wilkins. Mack is in a contract year and has established as a good starter when healthy, posting 2,000 yards rushing combined the past two seasons, but maybe the Colts are looking to move on from Mack, who’ll likely want a decent-sized contract, with a young workhorse. Or maybe they want to have more options in the backfield with Mack’s injury history and give him that second contract and form a nice duo with Taylor with Hines as the passing back. Either way, keep an eye on this backfield in 2020, it’ll be elite behind the offensive line, but who gets the most snaps is TBD. Taylor has the talent and the college stats, but with high numbers comes high workload which comes tread on those tires.
Conclusion: The Colts are looking to compete again, and are primed to do so in one of the more weaker divisions. I really like this offense, and with Rivers now under center, I’m excited to see what it can do. Rivers has never had a great offensive line, and if he put up the numbers he has had in his career with a poor line, imagine what he’ll do behind one of the best in the league. Health is the most important thing with the receivers, and Hilton needs to be available to be the star player he is.
The defense has been improving every year. They got established vets on the d-line with some young pass rushers behind Buckner, Justin Houston, and Denico Autry. Their linebackers group is top five in the league, and their secondary is young and super talented. They made all the right moves in free agency and added depth throughout the defense in the mid to later rounds.
The Colts are gonna surprise people in 2020.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Selections:
Round 1: CB C.J. Henderson, OLB K’Lavon Chaisson
Round 2: WR Laviska Shenault
Round 3: DT DaVon Hamilton
Round 4: OT Ben Bartch, CB Josiah Scott, LB Shaquille Quarterman
Round 5: S Daniel Thomas, WR Collin Johnson
Round 6: QB Jake Luton, TE Tyler Davis
Round 7: CB Chris Claybrooks
Analysis: As much of an embarrassment the Jags have been the past couple seasons, losing terribly and shipping off all their star players (Calais Campbell, Jalen Ramsey, A.J. Bouye, Nick Foles) and Yannick Ngakoue’s refusal to play, this team is really good at drafting. I was a huge fan of last year’s class, making smart picks on players that fell to them, and this year’s draft was star-studded.
After losing most of their starting defense, their main focus was defense to start the draft. With the ninth pick, they got the second-best corner in C.J. Henderson out of Florida. Cornerback was by far their top need, with their top corners as Tre Herndon and Rashaan Melvin, not great. Henderson is an athletic ball hawk, and is gonna be a stud for a long time in Jacksonville.
With their second first-round pick, acquired in the Ramsey trade with the Rams, the Jags selected the second-best pass rusher in K’Lavon Chaisson out of LSU. Ngakoue ain’t showing up, so they added a young stud to pair with their other young stud Josh Allen.
Moving on to the second round, they selected one of my favorite players in the draft, wide receiver Laviska Shenault out of Colorado. This kid is a stud. Likely would’ve been a first-rounder if not due to injuries and the fact he went to Colorado. He is an explosive, dynamic receiver that Gardner Minshew is gonna love throwing to. Shenault joins a very young receivers room led by breakout star D.J. Chark, Dede Westbrook, Keelan Cole, and Chris Conley. Although these aren’t big names or super talents, but this is a deep group of No. 2-3 receivers. Chark is a true No. 1, and the other four are solid second and third guys, but they got that four deep. I’d rather have that than one superstar and four schmucks behind him.
Just to quickly touch on the other picks. Really like the Hamilton pick in the third, they really need help in that interior defensive line after losing Campbell, Marcell Dareus, and Malik Jackson a couple years ago. 2018 first-rounder Taven Bryan hasn’t done anything, so they’ll be relying on Hamilton and former Cardinal Rodney Gunter to step in. And for the rest of the draft, just some really solid depth options for now and maybe they’ll find some gems in these Day 3 picks on defense.
Conclusion: I’m loving what the Jags are doing right now trying to rebuild this team, particularly their defense. They’re in a rebuild, and they’re making smart moves to replace guys. I loved the Joe Schobert signing to start alongside Myles Jack and Quincy Williams. I love the guys they’ve drafted the past two years, and I like that they don’t have too many divas (that we know of) that can ruin a locker room (see the collapse after 2017).
The offense is also being rebuilt. I thought they’d sign a veteran QB (Cam Newton, Andy Dalton) to compete with Minshew, but they didn’t, and they’re officially giving the reigns over to him. This is his team, and he’s got some tools to work with. I’ve talked about the wide receivers. They got a couple young tight ends, but that group is led by the former Bengal Tyler Eifert. I still don’t know what’s going on with Leonard Fournette, I don’t think he’s in their long-term plans, and they don’t have a clear backup plan.
For some reason, veteran players just don’t want to play here. There has to be something going on behind closed doors, whether it be with head coach Doug Marrone or owner Shad Khan, I really don’t know. But you don’t have guys like Ramsey, Ngakoue, Fournette, and even Telvin Smith want out of there. This isn’t a terrible team, there has to be something more going on, and they have to figure it out if they want to compete in this division.
Tennessee Titans
Selections:
Round 1: OT Isaiah Wilson
Round 2: CB Kristian Fulton
Round 3: RB Darrynton Evans
Round 5: DT Larrell Murchison
Round 7: QB Cole McDonald, CB Chris Jackson
Analysis: This is a really good draft class, sneaky one of the best of 2020. It addresses the roster needs and is so well-timed. The selections just make so much sense for the current state of this team. They lost guys in free agency, and replaced them so perfectly in this draft. And not just the positions, but the order that they addressed the positions is just perfection. I can’t stress enough how important it is for a team to be able to identify positions of need and addressing them. It sounds like such a simple and basic principle, but there are far too many teams that just make dumb moves *cough* Packers *cough*. There’s just something about a team doing what I think they should do that just gets me excited, even though I didn’t realize it beforehand.
In the first round, the Titans selected offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson out of Georgia. Viewed as a borderline late-first to second rounder, this fills a position that I didn’t even view as a priority, but it makes sense. After Jack Conklin left in free agency, the Titans re-signed swing tackle Dennis Kelly, and everyone (including myself) assumed he would take over as the starting right tackle. And I’m sure the Titans were prepared for that to happen if the draft didn’t fall in their favor, but they got their guy in Wilson and their new starter.
In the second round, the Titans got a guy who I had projected as a first-rounder, LSU corner Kristian Fulton. Cornerback has been a need for the Titans, though it hasn’t been ignored with the previous signings of Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan as well as the drafting of Adoree’ Jackson. Butler has struggled on the field and staying healthy, and Ryan is a free agent and isn’t likely to be back. Jackson has been fine, but hasn’t lived up to the rest of the 2017 cornerback class featuring the likes of Tre’Davious White, Marlon Humphrey, and Marshon Lattimore. Fulton will likely start as the third or fourth corner behind Jackson, Butler, and Johnathan Joseph.
In the third round, they selected running back Darrynton Evans the polar opposite of Derrick Henry. Evans is a speedy, shifty, passing back and should play the role that Dion Lewis didn’t and was supposed to be. Henry will be the early bruiser, wearing out defenses, and Evans will juke and run past them after taking a beating from Henry. A perfect combination and recipe for disaster for defenses.
Conclusion: After writing about this class in depth, I’m really loving it now. When I put out my rankings eventually, this will be near the top. They got immediate impact players with their top three picks, and depth guys in the back half. This team is set almost everywhere. I kind of wish they got another pass rusher, behind Harold Landry and Vic Beasley (who finally showed up), but who knows, they have been in on the Jadeveon Clowney sweepstakes.
The Titans have always been a team that’s just kind of existed, not a terrible team but not a good team. Well that narrative has changed. They are perennial playoff contenders. They finally have a quarterback, paid their star running back, and have a young talented receiving core with a stud offensive line. The Tennessee Titans are here to stay.
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