2011 NFL Draft Grades: Evaluating All 2011 AFC South Draft Classes
2011 NFL Draft grades are in, and we're taking a closer look at the AFC South.
It's a division that's very much in transition, especially at the bottom. The Tennessee Titans are moving on from Vince Young, while the Jacksonville Jaguars are trying to maximize their opportunities and unseat the Indianapolis Colts, who remain the class of the division.
Houston is trying to establish a defensive identity under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, and each team tried to make a strong playoff push next year in the draft. Some did better than others, and I'm here to break it all down team by team.
If you have any thoughts on the division race next year and how the teams did, be sure to leave it in the comments.
Tennessee Titans
1 of 4
When the Tennessee Titans made their selection in the first round, people nearly fell out of their chairs.
Jake Locker, the quarterback out of Washington who saw his draft stock take a nose dive over the past year, ended up only slipping seven spots to the eighth pick, where the Titans tabbed him to be the starter of the future
He has major accuracy issues but is a leader and a hard-worker, something the Titans couldn't say about Vince Young by the time his tenure with the team had all but ended. Locker is a project, but quarterback was a position of need and it had to be addressed. I'm just not so sure the eighth pick was the spot to do it.
After that, the Titans went with the defense, a unit that has seemingly gotten worse the past two years, adding Akeem Ayers and Jurrell Casey on the second day of the draft.
Ayers is an excellent coverage player at the linebacker position, something the Titans have sorely missed for the past couple of years and was very noticeable without Keith Bulluck in the lineup after he departed for the Giants.
The Titans will have to work on Casey, but he's another hard-nosed effort guy and someone Mike Munchak can hopefully mold into a successful pro. Throw in a short-yardage running back in Jamie Harper and another linebacker in Colin McCarthy and Tennessee did a good job of addressing their needs.
We're still scratching our heads over Jake Locker, though.
Grade: B-
Jacksonville Jaguars
2 of 4
Whenever you ignore your biggest need coming into the draft, you know you're in trouble.
Everyone said Jacksonville needed a pass rusher, and when the Jaguars traded up into the top 10 of the first round, you'd think that a defensive end was coming off of the board.
Instead, we heard Blaine Gabbert come off of the board.
Excuse me...what?
Gabbert is not an impact player next year, and he's someone who is going to sit behind David Garrard for at least a couple of years. Okay, that's confusing and odd, but what is more infuriating is that the Jaguars didn't even touch the defensive line in the entire draft
It was a stunning failure by a team that gave the Indianapolis Colts all they could handle in the AFC South. When the people scouting you can address your needs better than you can, it's time to evaluate the leadership in Jacksonville.
Jacksonville had one of the worst classes of any team, and it showed a complete lack of direction and awareness by the Jaguars.
These are the types of drafts that can set your team back years.
Grade: D
Houston Texans
3 of 4
Don't expect the Houston Texans to be as bad as they were last year.
With Wade Phillips in place as the defensive coordinator, the Texans attacked the defensive side of the ball, adding a pair of defensive ends and cornerbacks with their first four picks of the draft.
Getting guys in J.J. Watt and Brooks Reed are huge gets for a team that can really pressure the passer and cover up some of the deficiencies in the secondary, which we saw all year long. But now, the addition of players like Brandon Harris and Rashad Carmichael in the secondary should go a ways towards improving that unit.
When you attack your biggest weaknesses in the draft, you're going to get better. It has been proven time and time again, and it's something Houston did while some of its division rivals ignored theirs (see: Jacksonville).
However, my favorite pick was T.J. Yates out of North Carolina to be the backup to Matt Schaub on the final day of the draft. Yates is a project, but that's perfect for Houston, as they have Schaub to be the starter while the Texans groom Yates to be the man to take over.
When Yates has weapons, he can do damage, and that's something Houston has a lot of.
The Texans did a great job of addressing their needs and adding solid depth at different positions. I was very impressed with Houston's haul this year.
Grade: B+
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Indianapolis Colts
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We weren't used to seeing Peyton Manning running for his life.
Last year, thanks to injuries and a lack of solid depth, the iconic quarterback struggled to find time to pass and was hit more last season than any other in his career. With a late pick in the first round, it set up perfectly for the Indianapolis Colts to fill that gap.
In the first two rounds of the draft, the Colts went and got Anthony Castonzo and Benjamin Ijalana to bolster the line, two picks that will add talent and depth from day one. Castonzo will be a first day starter and be someone to anchor the line for years.
He won't be a dominant force, but he's going to be a guy who has a long and healthy career in the NFL, and really, that's all the Colts need at this juncture.
One pick late in the draft that I thought was sneaky good was Delone Carter to play running back. The Colts have issues in the running game, and getting some fresh blood in there can certainly improve the unit, even if he's not going to be the next Edgerrin James.
The Colts did a great job of filling their biggest weakness and then managing to plug other minor holes as well.
That's how you stay a contender.
Grade: A
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.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
