NFL Draft Grades: AFC South

Houston Texans

Round 1
1 - OT Duane Brown, Virginia Tech (26)
Round 2
/ -
Round 3
2 - CB Antwaun Molden, Eastern Kentucky (79)
3 - RB Steve Slaton, West Virginia (89)
Round 4
4 - LB Xavier Adibi, Virginia Tech (118)
Round 5
5 - DT Frank Okam, Texas (151)
Round 6
6 - SS Dominique Barber, Minnesota (173)
Round 7
7 - QB Alex Brink, Washington State (213)

As a whole, it is hard to point out a single pick that was bad for the Texans. Yes, some may disagree with Antwaun Molden in round 3, however he is a fantastic man to man cornerback with very good speed and decent physical abilities, so he has upside as starter. Another one that some may have scratched their head at was in round 1, with VT tackle Duane Brown. Brown was a late riser that is a very athletic tackle and is a poor mans Ryan Clady at the point where the Texans took him. With Ephraim Salaam getting up there in age (turning 32 in 3 weeks) it was about time they invested a top pick in a possible dominant left tackle who will keep the franchise's quarterback on his feet. Outside of those picks, nobody is complaining; with three picks in the middle of the draft that were all 1st round graded players at one point or another. One is running back Steve Slaton of West Virginia. He has very good speed and is like lightning in terms of acceleration and quickness, he can catch the ball as well, his only problem is size (5'9 - 199 lbs.) and his ability to withstand the punishment an NFL back takes with a small body. Next is linebacker Xavier Adibi, who is a speed rusher off the outside that can play from sideline to sideline, as well as drop back in coverage; his only flaw is how well he can be in run support. Last is Texas defensive tackle Frank Okam. He compares well to another former longhorn nose tackle in Cleveland Brown's own Shaun Rogers who can plug up the middle and anchor a defensive line for year. His downfall is weight issues and his ability to stay motivated and constantly give everything on every play. Another possible steal was Marion Barber's younger brother Dominique in round 6.

Grade: C+

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Indianapolis Colts

Round 1
/ -
Round 2
1 - OG Mike Pollack, Arizona St. (59)
Round 3
2 - LB Phillip Wheeler, Georgia Tech (93)
Round 4
3 - TE Jacob Tamme, Kentucky (127)
Round 5
4 - LB Marcus Howard, Georgia (161)
Round 6
5 - TE Tom Santi, Virginia (196)
6 - OC Steven Justice, Wake Forest (201)
7 - RB Mike Hart, Michigan (202)
8 - WR Pierre Garcon, Mount Union (205)
Round 7
9 - OC Jamey Richards, Buffalo (236)

Not a very flashy draft overall for the Colts this year, but that's not what they needed. They had needs on the offensive line (after loosing Jake Scott) and in their line backing core, where they don't have as much talent/depth as they should. With no pick in round 1, they waited their turn until round 2, where they picked up Jake Scott's likely replacement heading into this season in Arizona St. center Mike Pollack who has the versatility to play guard at a high level in the NFL. Round 3 brought them a fantastic talent in Phillip Wheeler if GT, who is versatile enough to play all 3 linebacker positions as well as being a solid open field tackler, and athlete. Landing some more dpeth in round 4 and 5 with Jacob Tamme, tight end of Kentucky, and defensive end Marcus Howard who projects as a linebacker far better at the next level, out of Georgia. Round 6 was a solid four picks for the Colts as well. landing more tight end depth, in Santi, as well as two very undervalued players who fell off quite a bit due to dismal workouts in Michigan's running back Mike Hart and Wake Forest's center Steve Justice (who was at one point the #1 center in the draft some thought) alone with a decent down field threat in Pierre Garcon. The Colts definitely improved them self, but it won't be immediate. Most of these picks will have their time to shine as they learn and develop as backups (other then likely Mike Pollack) before playing.

Grade: C-

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Jacksonville Jaguars

Round 1
1 - DE Derrick Harvey, Florida (8)
Round 2
2 - DE Quentin Groves, Auburn (52)

Round 3
/ -
Round 4
/ -
Round 5
3 - LB Thomas Williams, USC (155)
4 - CB Trae Williams, South Florida (159)
Round 6
/ -
Round 7
5 - RB Chauncey Washington, USC (213)

Looking back to this past season, it was clear that the Jags didn't have many needs, however a top notch pass rusher was an area that needed to be addressed to really put Jacksonville over the top, and they addressed that with their first 2 picks. They picked up the best pass rushing defensive end in the draft with Florida's own defensive end, Derrick Harvey. They came back and took the versatile pass rushing threat that can play both linebacker and defensive end (but primarily defensive end) Quentin Groves of Auburn. Considering they lost Bobby McCray to the Saints, it didn't seem like too bad a move picking up another pass rusher in round 2, in the attempt to slow down Peyton Manning in the South division. In round 5 they picked up a few solid, hard working defenders in Thomas Williams and Trae Williams. Just goes to show how advanced USC's football program is when a backup is still getting drafted in round 5, but a very good player still with good quickness and ability in Thomas Williams. USF cornerback Trae Williams is your typical man coverage corner who wont make stops against the run and will get out muscled by the big receivers, but he could make a fine slot man, covering the shorter, quicker receivers. Round 7 running back Chauncey Washington could be a surprise pick, as he had some nice workouts and with little physical talents, gives his all and can be a decent NFL back.

Grade: C-

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Tennessee Titans

Round 1
1 - RB Chris Johnson, East Carolina (24)
Round 2
2 - DE Jason Jones, East Michigan (54)
Round 3
3 - TE Craig Stevens, California (85)
Round 4
4 - DE William Hayes, Winston Salem (103)
5 - WR Lavelle Hawkins, California (126)
6 - LB Keglar, Purdure (134)
Round 5
/ -
Round 6
/ -
Round 7
7 - CB Cary Williams, Washburn (229)

The Titans had an interesting draft to say the least. They needed a receiver in a bad way and didn't pick up a true wide out, per-say until round 4, but most don't realize that Chris Williams is an electrifying receiver out of the backfield, and should find a lot of success on utilizing swing routes and screen passes to him. Not too mention he ran one of the fastest 40 yard dashes in NFL Combine history (4.24 seconds). They added more defensive line depth after loosing both Antwan Odom and Travis Laboy in free agency with their second and fourth round picks, adding a tweener with both advantages and disadvantages to playing tackle or end on the D-line in Jason Jones of East Michigan, and sleeper William Hayes of Winston Salem, who is slightly undersized and is more of a finesse player that better fits the 3-4 scheme as linebacker. A hard working couple of players in tight end Craig Stevens of Cal will fit in nicely as a decent receiving option to Vince Young, and tough Stanford Keglar of Purdue who is a sideline to sideline type linebacker that will add some nice depth on defense. One of the best picks of the Titans draft however, was Lavelle Hawkins in round 4. Hawkins has been in the shadow of former teammate DeSean Jackson at Cal, but when he got his shot in the Senior Bowl and in the Combine, he didn't take it lying down. He had a huge couple of pre-draft events/workouts and really made a name for himself, hopefully for his sake and the Titans sake, he becomes what he showed off before the draft.

Grade: C-
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...coming up next, the AFC West.