The AFC South is such a bizarre division right now. The Jags have been awful for two straight years and are on their third head coach in as many years., the Titans were a one and done despite being the one seed in the AFC last year, the Texans have undertaken a massive rebuild effort, and the Colts are once again entering the season with yet another change under center. All of this to say that the division is in flux and that a good draft can set things going in the right direction for any of these teams. Let’s see how they did with the 2022 draft.
Houston Texans: A
Simply put, I just love the players the Texans selected. The team desperately needed good football players at any position. The roster looks less daunting after this draft. Derek Stingley at 3? Great. Kenyon Green? Perhaps a bit of a reach at 15, but again, great football player. Jalen Pitre was a great add in the second round. John Metchie is going to be a good receiver for them once he recovers from his knee injury. Christian Harris, Dameon Pierce and Thomas Booker all went around where I expected them to go, so I like the value. I wish I knew more about Austin Deculus and Teagan Quitoriano, but I didn’t scout them, so I need to reserve judgment.
Indianapolis Colts: B-
I like the Nick Cross pick at 96 and I appreciate them drafting Bernhard Raimann in the third instead of the first because of the rumblings about him going early. However, I’m concerned he’ll still have to see the field before he’s ready and I’m just not a fan of a 25-year-old developmental tackle who’s still at least a year away from being ready to play. The rest is fine even if it’s uninspiring. Knowing how Chris Ballard operates, someone from this group is going to wind up an All-Pro.
Jacksonville Jaguars: C
I really want to like this Jaguars’ draft class, but I just can’t. Travon Walker is a very risky pick at the top of the draft. If he hits, GM Trent Baalke will look like a genius. If he doesn’t, he’ll just confirm what many people already think about Trent Baalke. I like Devin Lloyd, but them trading back into round 1 for him was bizarre because off ball linebacker in the first round is usually a luxury pick and this team is not in a position to make moves like that. Luke Fortner to start round 3 was a reach and he’s not ready to start from day 1 but he’ll have to after the team lost Brandon Linder to retirement. Drafting another linebacker in Chad Muma in round three was another bizarre choice for the same reason as Lloyd- this team had bigger needs than off-ball linebackers. Drafting Snoop Conner was bizarre because he was mostly a bit player at Ole Miss and again, drafting a running back when you have a former 1000 yard rusher on your roster who was a UDFA as well as last year’s 25th overall pick is not a need. They did not need a running back! I like the Montaric Brown pick though.
My big issue with this class is the fundamental failures of roster construction. Drafting two linebackers in the top 100 when you’ve won a combined 3 games the past two years is not something successful franchises do, especially after the Jags already handed Foye Oluokon a hefty contract in free agency to play that same position. Hoarding running backs for no reason when you have a 1000-yard rusher on a cheap contract and a former first-round pick only entering his second year is bad team building. Nothing about this draft makes sense to me.
Tennessee Titans: B (?)
Are the Titans going from the AFC’s number one seed to a rebuild? That’s the sense I get from this draft. Trading AJ Brown is one thing- I can understand that to a point. Drafting Treylon Burks, whose ceiling is AJ Brown is.. odd. It’s truly that Family Guy scene. A boat is a boat, but the mystery box could be anything! It could even be a boat! The boat is AJ Brown. Treylon Burks is the mystery box.
Roger McCreary is a great player, but what’s his immediate role on this team that has invested a lot at corner in the last few drafts. Nicholas Petit-Frere is a developmental tackle, so I’m not sure where he plays right away. Malik Willis isn’t playing right away, although getting him at 86 is seemingly a steal given that he was projected to go in the top 10. Hassan Haskins is a future starter at RB, but Derrick Henry is obviously still there.
Everything about this draft just makes it seem as though Tennessee is pivoting.
