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AFC South draft impressions

Lucky

Lucky

Ride, Captain, Ride!
Staff member
Colts - When you take the best player in the draft, it's automatically a good draft. What I liked was how the Colts built around Luck. Getting the top 2 TEs in the draft gives the offense an identity. I also like the value they found on day 3 (Chapman, Fugger, Ballard). A nice start to the Luck era.

Jags - Blackmon is the best WR they've had since Jimmy Smith. Not sure if they have a QB that can get him the ball, however. Branch is another talented edge rusher that seem to waste away in Jacksonville. The rest of the draft has Gene Smith again trying to prove he's smarter than everyone else.

Titans - I'm scratching my head trying to understand what kind of team Mike and Mike are trying to build. I don't see how taking a slot receiver in the 1st round is going to help the QB or the offense. The rest of the picks seem like workout warriors (though I like Martin). Not impressed.
 
How about including some thoughts on the Texans? They are a part of the AFC South.

The Colts really went heavy on offense. Have they forgotten that Peyton Manning isn't there anymore? Got to shore that defense some. They completely ignored CB, I especially don't get why they drafted another QB with all their holes. UFDA! The Texans have been in this position twice now so I can relate.

The Jaguars had a poor draft that derailed with the selection of Anger. I thought it was ballsy to take a game-changing punter but THEY are not in a position to do that yet. They have a new coach and his objective must be to get as many starters as possible and develop the face of his team. Gabbert really spoils things here but look deeper... in the fourth, they took a LB who's contribution is expected to be special teams. The attitude of this team is defeated. What was it that we were force fed for years? Bend but don't break? Protection is good but placement of protection isn't rocket science. Why didn't they shore up their o-line to at least give Gabbert a fighting chance? They are defeated and counting on special teams to keep them from being embarrassed even further.

The Tennessee Titans, I thought had a really solid draft. The selections of Mike Martin and Zach Brown show that they are staying the course by filling needs. Were they the best needs? Probably not when you are selecting for need as opposed to BPA. I am not going to like playing the Tennessee Titans next year.

The Houston Texans did not address LB or CB. I'm more concerned about LB than anything else. The Titans and Colts both are heavy at TE. I hope that we can fill the void left by DeMeco with the upcoming cuts. Do we even have any $$ for that? Also... have the Texans forgotten that Manning does NOT play in the AFC South anymore? We have now finished our ultimate pass rushing defense. I love it but how we gonna plug the hole? I'd feel better if we switched Brandon Brooks to NT. The Texans' draft isn't really over anyway. UFDA is where we rock.
 
I misunderstood what you were saying.

Lucky said:
I like that Wade got the player he wanted. I like that Benton got young linemen he can mold. I like that there is now a kicker on the roster. I don't know where the TEs are going to come from. I still would have liked to see another NT brought in (and there were opportunities). Not sure how you can grade before they've ever hit the field, but my guess is that this is a B draft class.
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The Texans lost a lot of players in the offseason, and I don't see many from this draft class as immediate replacements. Mercilus could be the exception. But, I like the potential. I think that the Texans are still the class of the AFC South, and nothing that happened on draft weekend has changed my mind.
 
Colts -- Where's the DEF??? No CBs? I guess they want Luck to get lots of snaps after opposing teams score & score. Not a fan of the two TEs, "safety blanket" philosophy.

Jaguars -- Drafted a punter in the 3rd round. GM on the way out.

Titans -- Kinda hit & miss for me. Middle of O-line underperformed.
 
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My thoughts on the Colts is going for 2 TEs would make more sense when you are a ball control, run play heavy team. The Colts as they stand now are most certainly not that. If this is the first step in that direction, than I can understand this draft better; but if this is the plan at least attempting to address the O-line and the RB situation might have both been better options than the second TE.

Jags draft will only work if the O-line and the QB take big leaps forward. If not the P will be the MVP.

Titans almost the same as the Jags, but with a better O-line already in place. Could they be intending to run a college style spread?
 
Tennessee Titans UDFA Signings -
Washington WR Devin Aguilar; Stephen F. Austin OL George Bias; Vanderbilt TE Brandon Barden; Missouri TE Beau Brinkley; Kentucky OL Chandler Burden; USC DT DaJohn Harris; Texas S Christian Scott; Tarleton State QB Nick Stephens; Alabama LB Alex Watkins; Cincinnati WR D.J. Woods

^ That's more UDFA signs than the rest of the division combined. I think they just want to beat our 2nd and 3rd strings...
 
NitroGSXR said:
The Houston Texans did not address LB or CB. I'm more concerned about LB than anything else. The Titans and Colts both are heavy at TE. I hope that we can fill the void left by DeMeco with the upcoming cuts. Do we even have any $$ for that? Also... have the Texans forgotten that Manning does NOT play in the AFC South anymore? We have now finished our ultimate pass rushing defense. I love it but how we gonna plug the hole? I'd feel better if we switched Brandon Brooks to NT. The Texans' draft isn't really over anyway. UFDA is where we rock.
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THe Texans addressed the loss of Demeco by signing Brady James.
 
Playoffs said:
Colts -- Where's the DEF??? No CBs? I guess they want Luck to get lots of snaps after opposing teams score & score. Not a fan of the two TEs, "safety blanket" philosophy.

Jaguars -- Drafted a punter in the 3rd round. GM on the way out.

Titans -- Kinda hit & miss for me. Middle of O-line underperformed.
Click to expand...

I think the two te thing is a copy cat of how successful the patriots were. At least my impression
 
NitroGSXR said:
How about including some thoughts on the Texans? They are a part of the AFC South.

The Colts really went heavy on offense. Have they forgotten that Peyton Manning isn't there anymore? Got to shore that defense some. They completely ignored CB, I especially don't get why they drafted another QB with all their holes. UFDA! The Texans have been in this position twice now so I can relate.

The Jaguars had a poor draft that derailed with the selection of Anger. I thought it was ballsy to take a game-changing punter but THEY are not in a position to do that yet. They have a new coach and his objective must be to get as many starters as possible and develop the face of his team. Gabbert really spoils things here but look deeper... in the fourth, they took a LB who's contribution is expected to be special teams. The attitude of this team is defeated. What was it that we were force fed for years? Bend but don't break? Protection is good but placement of protection isn't rocket science. Why didn't they shore up their o-line to at least give Gabbert a fighting chance? They are defeated and counting on special teams to keep them from being embarrassed even further.

The Tennessee Titans, I thought had a really solid draft. The selections of Mike Martin and Zach Brown show that they are staying the course by filling needs. Were they the best needs? Probably not when you are selecting for need as opposed to BPA. I am not going to like playing the Tennessee Titans next year.

The Houston Texans did not address LB or CB. I'm more concerned about LB than anything else. The Titans and Colts both are heavy at TE. I hope that we can fill the void left by DeMeco with the upcoming cuts. Do we even have any $$ for that? Also... have the Texans forgotten that Manning does NOT play in the AFC South anymore? We have now finished our ultimate pass rushing defense. I love it but how we gonna plug the hole? I'd feel better if we switched Brandon Brooks to NT. The Texans' draft isn't really over anyway. UFDA is where we rock.
Click to expand...

They addressed OLB in the first round selecting Whitney Mercilus. He should be in the rotation with Reed and Barwin. At ILB they addressed the loss of Ryans by acquiring Bradie James in free agency. They still have Cushing, Dobbins and Sharpton so they should be okay on depth there. They have six CB's returning from last year, including Roc Carmichael and Brandon Harris. I didn't see a huge need at corner this year.
 
JCTexan said:
They addressed OLB in the first round selecting Whitney Mercilus. He should be in the rotation with Reed and Barwin. At ILB they addressed the loss of Ryans by acquiring Bradie James in free agency. They still have Cushing, Dobbins and Sharpton so they should be okay on depth there. They have six CB's returning from last year, including Roc Carmichael and Brandon Harris. I didn't see a huge need at corner this year.
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Sure. I can never get used to calling DEs OLBs in the 3-4 but you're right Whitney Mercilus counts. Mercilus offset the loss of Williams but I was more referring about the middle. Bradie James isn't really what I would call a honest attempt at a Ryans replacement. I see him more of a camp body than anything else with little chance of making the roster after the draft. I was really hoping to see us draft a LB or two. We did sign several today so it helps to see the UFDAs on the roster.
 
NitroGSXR said:
Sure. I can never get used to calling DEs OLBs in the 3-4 but you're right Whitney Mercilus counts. Mercilus offset the loss of Williams but I was more referring about the middle. Bradie James isn't really what I would call a honest attempt at a Ryans replacement. I see him more of a camp body than anything else with little chance of making the roster after the draft. I was really hoping to see us draft a LB or two. We did sign several today so it helps to see the UFDAs on the roster.
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Personally, I think they traded Demeco because they think Sharpton/James/Dobbins can do everything he did. Ryans, today and last year, is not the same Ryans as 3-4 years ago.

The position Ryans played was not an every down position.
 
The Pencil Neck said:
Personally, I think they traded Demeco because they think Sharpton/James/Dobbins can do everything he did. Ryans, today and last year, is not the same Ryans as 3-4 years ago.

The position Ryans played was not an every down position.
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They traded him because of money. No more no less. You can't convince me otherwise. I agree with you about Ryans' dwindled playing time. I don't agree that we will have a combo mix of players to replace the intangibles that Ryans brought to the team.
 
NitroGSXR said:
Sure. I can never get used to calling DEs OLBs in the 3-4 but you're right Whitney Mercilus counts. Mercilus offset the loss of Williams but I was more referring about the middle. Bradie James isn't really what I would call a honest attempt at a Ryans replacement. I see him more of a camp body than anything else with little chance of making the roster after the draft. I was really hoping to see us draft a LB or two. We did sign several today so it helps to see the UFDAs on the roster.
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I really don't see a scenario where James doesn't make the team. He has a reasonable contract and 9 years NFL experience, he led the Cowboys in tackles for 6 consecutive seasons, and he can return kickoffs.
 
BattleRedToro said:
I really don't see a scenario where James doesn't make the team. He has a reasonable contract and 9 years NFL experience, he led the Cowboys in tackles for 6 consecutive seasons, and he can return kickoffs.
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I'm sure he can. Just not very far.
 
Colts : OFF - Taking two TE's makes sense considering both of their top TE's from last season are gone in Clark and Tamme. Big plus that Fleener fell to them with their second round pick, aside from having Wayne outside he'll have a familiar TE to throw to. Obviously, I don't really need to mention Luck, the rest of the draft it looks like, they're at least looking to build around on offense. Considering its a passing league now, that's not a bad idea. DEF- If I had to make a guess... they're likely to really depend on Pagano's defensive background and try to work with what they have. Still have two talented pass rushers to start out with.

Jags : OFF - They got their guy in Blackmon, but like everyone has pointed out do they have a QB that can get him the ball? You've got think they're banking on their OL being healthy and getting Marcedes Lewis back too take pressure off of MJD. Def - They weren't terrible on defense last year, but you have to wonder if there's going to be a drop off after having a defensive HC like Del Rio pulling the strings.

Titans: OFF- They got bookend WRs now with Wright and Britt. The question now becomes is Locker ready and if not can Hasselbeck and this offense overachieve this year again? They did add Hutchcinson to the middle of the OL, is he's too old or can he once again elevate the play off the OL? Def - They invested a lot of picks in adding talent to the defense, can anyone step up and replace Cortland?
 
Colts: They have problems on the OL and at RB, so drafting Luck and Fleener is not going to instantly translate into Freaky Good Offense for the Colts. In fact, it's going to allow teams to pin their ears back and go hard at Luck and take his security blanket Fleener out of the play every time. They have problems everywhere but QB and TE. They have a bad defense at every level.

Jags: Outside of Blackmon, they didn't get better. And taking a punter in the third round was definitely the WTH? moment of the whole 2012 draft. They will be battling with the Colts for last place in the division.

Titans: I am intrigued by the Kendall Wright pick. He might assume a Derrick Mason role there--A guy who gets underneath and then gets big YAC. Britt is their Andre Johnson, so now they have a quicker underneath guy in Wright.

Texans: We drafted for depth along the OL and at LB. I think Wade Smith, Caldwell, and Butler will be on a short leash if those three guys don't come prepared and ready to earn their spots during camp and preseason. Kubiak or Dennison said "The best five will play on the line" and I believe them even as it relates to the new rookies here. Drafted a kicker, which is scary but at least we waited until the 5th and not the 3rd like the Jags did with their punter. I liked the Mercilus pick, and the Crick pick, and the UDFA signing of Keenum. Tate and Foster are the only two legit RBs on the team right now, so Megget has a good chance of making the team as RB3 at this stage...though Kubiak likes to add, cut, add, cut with the waiver wire all along the way to the reg season opener.

Overall: I can see how the draft experts say t hat nobody gained significant ground on the Texans. This is like in the past when they said nobody gained ground on the Colts...it's just that now the Texans are the best team in the AFCS and so it will take time for teams to catch up. Titans are the most viable threat to us in the AFCS, and we have to stop their passing game AND contain Chris Johnson who will be flying low under the radar in 2012 and could have a great year if teams don't remember him.
 
Lucky said:
Colts - When you take the best player in the draft, it's automatically a good draft. What I liked was how the Colts built around Luck. Getting the top 2 TEs in the draft gives the offense an identity. I also like the value they found on day 3 (Chapman, Fugger, Ballard). A nice start to the Luck era.

Jags - Blackmon is the best WR they've had since Jimmy Smith. Not sure if they have a QB that can get him the ball, however. Branch is another talented edge rusher that seem to waste away in Jacksonville. The rest of the draft has Gene Smith again trying to prove he's smarter than everyone else.

Titans - I'm scratching my head trying to understand what kind of team Mike and Mike are trying to build. I don't see how taking a slot receiver in the 1st round is going to help the QB or the offense. The rest of the picks seem like workout warriors (though I like Martin). Not impressed.
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Note on the Titans - they addressed DE and OG with UFAs - signing Wimbley and Hutchinson. I don't mind their draft at all, but fear the workout factor on Brown - "allergic to contact" are words I never want to hear on a LB prospect.
 
I thought the Colts had the best draft in the division by default. Any draft that includes Andrew Luck is automatically the best. I also loved their selection of Fleener. Aftert that, it was very much "meh". I don't think taking another TE after that is real prudent, although it's not terrible either. I can kind of see the thinking there. And they took no steps at all to address a bad defense. This is a rebuilding project that is a good 2 years away yet from being able to challenge again - assuming Luck is what we think he is. Because of Luck, I give this draft a B+ and if Luck is Manning like, it's an A+.

Next best, and really a better draft considering where they were picking is the Texans. Value wise, I think they did the best in the division. They didn't address CB or TE, and I still think the Posey selection is questionable at best, but all in all they attacked their need areas very well. The suggestion that the Brooks, who is a 4 yr starter on the line is suddenly going to switch to NG is just silly. As is the suggestion that Bradie won't make the team. Anyway, I digress. Solid B.

Titans - Not a real fan of this draft. They needed to hit OL and and they needed pass rushers - and they did neither. The kid from Baylor may be a good slot WR and can help in the return game, but I was souring on him as time went along. He'll help but at #20, is he a real impact player? Time will tell. The 2nd rd pick was a player I didn't like at all. That's a miss for me. The rest of their draft was ok for me. I give this one a C+.

Jax - Didn't like the draft at all. Unlike others, I'm not sold on Blackmon at all. I think he is over-rated. Having said that, he is easily the best WR since Jimmy Smith almost by default, but the move reeked of desperation. I think he'll be ok, but not a top 5 talent at all - and with their QB situation it reminds me of putting racing tires on a 78 Pinto. Then they doubled down on bad moves by drafting a punter in rd 3. That's ten times worse then drafting a K in rd 3, which is bad enough. That move reeked of white flag surrender. We know we will suck for years, so we at least want to suck not as bad by turning field position a little bit. All in all, I pretty much think Jax's draft was in the bottom 5 or so. C- at best.
 
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