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AFC South 2019 NFL Draft Grades: Jaguars Dominate, Colts Go Volume

2019 NFL Draft

(AP Photo/Steve Helber)

2019 NFL Draft
Let’s hand out some 2019 NFL Draft grades for the AFC South. Jacksonville totally dominated while the Colts went with a lot of volume picks. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

The 2019 NFL Draft is over! That means no football activities to look forward to for months. In the meantime, we can at least hand out draft grades. Continuing with the series, it’s time to grade the AFC South. This division is highly competitive. Every team in the division feels like they can win it. Now that the draft is over, we have a better idea of how things will shake out. How did each team in the AFC South perform during the 2019 NFL Draft?

2019 NFL Draft
The Texans drafted offensive lineman! Check. But did they draft the right ones? (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle)

Houston Texans: Grade C

  • Round 1, Pick 23 (No. 23 overall): Tytus Howard, OT, Alabama State
  • Round 2, Pick 22 (No. 54 overall): Lonnie Johnson, CB, Kentucky
  • Round 2, Pick 23 (No. 55 overall): Max Scharping, T, Northern Illinois
  • Round 3, Pick 22 (No. 86 overall): Kahale Warring, TE, San Diego State
  • Round 5, Pick 23 (No. 161 overall): Charles Omenihu, DE, Texas
  • Round 6, Pick 22 (No. 195 overall): Xavier Crawford, CB, Central Michigan
  • Round 7, Pick 6 (No. 220 overall): Cullen Gillaspia, FB, Texas A&M

I can’t kill the Texans because they did exactly what they needed to do. This team needs offensive linemen. More than one. Well, Houston drafted two of them. The only issue is they didn’t necessarily get great value on those picks. Tytus Howard while talented, is very much a project. We’re talking about a converted quarterback who played at Alabama State. This pick could very well work out. It could also fail miserably. Max Scharping is a player I like. Using a 2nd round pick is questionable. I can’t knock the Texans for attacking a big need though.

The rest of the draft was just average. Lonnie Johnson has off the field issues but has talent. He’s a long corner that played well in the pre-draft process. The Kahale Warring pick was just weird. A 3rd round pick on a tight end that is a project? Not what I would have done. The only slam dunk pick I really approve of was Charles Omenihu. He was the Big 12 defensive player of the year and has arm length that stretches across the country.

Indianapolis Colts: Grade B

  • Round 2, Pick 2 (No. 34 overall): Rock Ya-Sin, CB, Temple
  • Round 2, Pick 17 (No. 49 overall): Ben Banogu, DE, TCU
  • Round 2, Pick 27 (No. 59 overall): Parris Campbell, WR, Ohio State
  • Round 3, Pick 25 (No. 89 overall): Bobby Okereke, LB, Stanford
  • Round 4, Pick 7 (No. 109 overall): Khari Willis, SS, Michigan St.
  • Round 5, Pick 6 (No. 144 overall): Marvell Tell III, S, USC
  • Round 5, Pick 26 (No. 164 overall): E.J. Speed, LB, Tarleton St.
  • Round 6, Pick 26 (No. 199 overall): Gerri Green, DE, Mississippi St.
  • Round 7, Pick 26 (No. 240 overall): Jackson Barton, T, Utah
  • Round 7, Pick 32 (No. 246 overall): Javon Patterson, G, Ole Miss

The Colts got a lot of players. I’m not sure they got a lot of good players. The top 3 picks I really like. Rock Ya-Sin is a tough corner who fits right in. I’m a big fan of Ya-Sin. Being a former wrestler helps. Ben Banogu is a piss seeking missile. Worst case scenario, he’s a really effective 3rd down pass rusher. Regardless, Banogu is a serious weapon that can do a lot of different things. Parris Campbell is a risk worth taking. Campbell is probably the most athletically gifted receiver in the entire draft outside of DK Metcalf. Campbell has speed to burn but he’s not a polished route runner. If Indy can develop him, he’s the perfect partner to TY Hilton.

The rest of the picks left little to be desired. The Stanford linebacker is just ok. The safety duo they picked are special teamers. They got some depth but no real starting caliber players late. The good news is they did add volume so maybe one or two exceeds expectations.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Grade A

  • Round 1, Pick 7 (No. 7 overall): Josh Allen, EDGE, Kentucky
  • Round 2, Pick 3 (No. 35 overall): Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida
  • Round 3, Pick 5 (No. 69 overall): Josh Oliver, TE, San Jose State
  • Round 3, Pick 35 (No. 98 overall): Quincy Williams, LB, Murray State
  • Round 5, Pick 2 (No. 140 overall): Ryquell Armstead, RB, Temple
  • Round 6, Pick 5 (No. 178 overall): Gardner Minshew II, QB, Washington State
  • Round 7, Pick 21 (No. 235 overall): Dontavius Russell, DT, Auburn

The Jacksonville Jaguars executed a nearly perfect draft. I bet the Jags didn’t expect Josh Allen to be there at 7. Allen is the best pass rusher in the draft and racked up 17 sacks at Kentucky last year. Luckily for them, the Giants and Raiders made wild reaches to make him available. Any time you can draft a guy like Josh Allen at the top, you’re already off to a hell of a start.

This draft fell so perfectly for them. A lot of people thought Jawaan Taylor would be the pick at 7. Well, they got him at 35. Taylor becomes the perfect right tackle for a run-first Jags offense. To pair him with Cam Robinson is just fantastic.

The Jags took some big swings with Josh Oliver and Quincy Williams. Oliver is a needed target at tight end. Williams is the brother of Quinnen Williams. Maybe they found a gem out of Murray State. Jacksonville just executed pick after pick. Round 5 they land Ryquell Armstead!?! I’m telling you this right now, that’s a home run. He’s a tough SOB. Round 6 brings in a high energy backup quarterback. Round 7 brings in a solid defensive tackle with high production at Auburn. Because there were so many great defensive linemen this year, to have Dontavius Russell in round 7 in flat out crazy. What’s not to like?

2019 NFL Draft
The Titans are rolling the dice with character big time on Jeffery Simmons (Douglas DeFelice/USA TODAY Sports)

Tennessee Titans: Grade B

  • Round 1, pick 19 (No. 19 overall): Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State
  • Round 2, pick 19 (No. 51 overall): A.J. Brown, WR, Ole Miss
  • Round 3, pick 18 (No. 82 overall): Nate Davis, G, Charlotte
  • Round 4, pick 14 (No. 116 overall): Amani Hooker, S, Iowa
  • Round 5, pick 30 (No. 168 overall): D’Andre Walker, LB, Georgia
  • Round 6, pick 15 (No. 188 overall): David Long Jr., LB, West Virginia

It’s hard to complain about the Titans draft from a talent standpoint. Domestic Violence would be a non-starter for me as a GM but I guess the Titans feel differently. Jeffery Simmons was obviously too good to pass on despite being a scumbag. AJ Brown could have easily went in round 1. Brown can work some magic in the slot. Too bad he got picked by Tennessee.

Everyone knows I love Nate Davis. That’s a plug and play guard right there. I’m also a big fan of D’Andre Walker. Tell him to go hunt the quarterback. Walker can do that. It’s definitely a draft that Titan fans are probably happy about.

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