AFC South Breakdown
Round 1 – Brian Cushing (OLB, USC)
Round 2 – Connor Barwin (DE, Cincinnati)
Round 3 – Antoine Caldwell (OG, Alabama)
Round 4 – Glover Quin (CB, New Mexico)
Round 4 – Anthony Hill (TE, N.C. State)
Round 5 – James Casey (TE, Rice)
Round 6 – Brian McCain (CB, Utah)
Round 7 – Troy Nolan (S, Arizona St.)
Round 1 – Eugene Monroe (OT, Virginia)
Round 2 – Eben Britton (OT, Arizona)
Round 3 – Terrance Knighton (DT, Temple)
Round 3 – Derek Cox (CB, William & Mary)
Round 4 – Mike Thomas (WR, Arizona)
Round 5 – Jarett Dillard (WR, Rice)
Round 6 – Zach Miller (TE, Nebraska-Omaha)
Round 7 – Rashad Jennings (RB, Liberty)
Round 7 – Tiquan Underwood (WR, Rutgers)
Round 1 – Donald Brown (RB, UConn)
Round 2 – Fili Moala (DT, USC)
Round 3 – Jerraud Powers (CB, Auburn)
Round 4 – Austin Collie (WR, BYU)
Round 4 – Terrance Taylor (DT, Michigan)
Round 6 – Curtis Painter (QB, Purdue)
Round 7 – Pat McAfee (P, West Virginia)
Round 7 – Jaimie Thomas (OT, Maryland)
Round 1 – Kenny Britt (WR, Rutgers)
Round 2 – Sen’Derrick Marks (DT, Auburn)
Round 3 – Jared Cook (TE, South Carolina)
Round 3 – Ryan Mouton (CB, Hawaii)
Round 4 – Gerald McRath (LB, Southern Miss.)
Round 4 – Troy Kropog (OT, Tulane)
Round 5 – Javon Ringer (RB, Michigan State)
Round 6 – Jason McCourty (CB, Rutgers)
Round 6 – Dominique Edison (WR, Stephen F. Austin)
Round 7 – Ryan Durand (OG, Syracuse)
Round 7 – Nick Schommer (FS, N. Dakota State)
Best Pick: In this spot, there are 3 picks I like. Donald Brown, by the Colts, Kenny Britt by the Titans, and Brian Cushing by the Texans. Brown comes to a Colts team that saw injuries, inconsistency, and a tough schedule plague their offensive attack last season. Joseph Addai, the Colts’ star back, had a very rough season last year, coming off a very solid first two seasons in the league. Brown comes to a team, which is in need of consistency at the position, as well as versatility, both attributes describe the UConn star. WR was a very weak point of the Tennessee offense, which caused the team to leave a lot of touchdowns on the field. Kenny Britt comes to the Titans and will immediately be seen as the most reliable threat on offense at the wideout position. Britt is in the Brandon Marshall mold, who’s put up dynamic numbers in Denver, in reference to his size and speed. Britt will have a luxury that Marshall didn’t, and that is to come in and start right away, which should help in his development in the NFL. Brian Cushing may be my favorite pick of the three, seeing as how the Texans are a team on the rise. Cushing will add that Brian Urlacher mentality to an up and coming defensive unit, and could propel them to the next level.
Worst Pick: While the Titans addressed their pressing needs with the first two picks in the draft, the selection of another TE is a bit baffling. The Titans have an aging veteran in Alge Crumpler, but an emerging talent in Bo Scaife, which wouldn’t suggest a need to draft Jared Cook in round 3. Cook can be seen as a great value pick, but the Titans are a team that lacks offensive play-makers to go with a very stout defense. Now, the defense did take a hit with losing All Pro DT, Albert Haynesworth, but there’s hope that Marks can develop into a run stopping force of his own. Cook has the ability to play alongside Scaife, and provide a nice pass catching weapon, but that’s a weapon that could’ve been more productive at the wideout position, as opposed to another TE.
Who Helped Themselves Most: This division was a little difficult to pick one team that stood out as a clear winner in the draft. Each team addressed their immediate needs, while a team like the Titans decided to stockpile picks in hopes of addressing need by quantity. A value pick amongst the later rounds for the Titans would have to be Javon Ringer. Ringer’s addition provides a notion that the Titans are trying to go with a more uptempo style of play, to go along with game breaker, Chris Johnson. Kenny Britt, along with Ringer, provide a couple much needed weapons for the Titans offense, which struggled to produce at times. The Colts did very well with drafting Donald Brown, and addressing defensive holes immediately thereafter. The Texans built upon a very young and talented defense, and look to be the team to emerge next season. They stuck to a philosophy of building on defense first, and then putting solid pieces around Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson, which has been a productive decision. If the Texans can avoid the injury bug, they have a chance to finally reach the NFL Playoffs, which they’re sure to be a team no one wants to face.
