In 2019 the AFC South was a very interesting division at the top, which resulted in two teams representing the division in the AFC playoffs. As many can recall those two teams were the Houston Texans, who won the division, and Tennessee Titans, who advanced to the AFC Championship.
The postseasons both had somewhat marked a change from what many were expecting as most felt the Indianapolis Colts would lead the way in the division. However, the shocking retirement of Andrew Luck shook things up and they finished third in the division as a result.
Fast-forward to present day and now all three teams are looking forward to the offseason/preseason process. However, before we get into that and making season predictions, here are our thoughts on how the rest of the division came away from what was an exciting 2020 NFL Draft:
Indianapolis Colts
Despite not having a first-round pick, the Colts’ 2020 draft class has been praised by many analysts and it’s easy to see why. Their offense got significantly better around new addition Philip Rivers, who was already a thorn in the feet of the Jags.
With their first selection of the process, they added a big target in Michael Pittman Jr., who will likely now have a rivalry with Jags first-round pick C.J. Henderson. Afterward, they got an absolute steal in Jonathan Taylor at the running back position. Again, another Jags’ weakness (in addition to Rivers) has been stopping the run and the pairing of Taylor and Marlon Mack should really concern fans in Duval.
Later down the stretch, the Colts selected Washington quarterback Jacob Eason who could be their signal-caller of the future if developed properly under Philip Rivers. Receiver Dezmon Patmon is the other notable the Colts got late in the draft and it appears he has a chance to stick on the back end of the roster as a No. 4 or No. 5 receiver.
Tennessee Titans
While the Titans only made six selections, their early selections consisted of several notables. They selected a pair from the Southeastern Conference in Isaiah Wilson and Kristian Fulton. Like the Colts’ draft, the addition of both players by the Titans could cause several new rivalries with the Jags. Wilson could occasionally see 1-on-1s against rookie Jags pass-rusher K’Lavon Chaisson, while Fulton could see time against Jags rookies Laviska Shenault Jr. and Collin Johnson.
Afterward, the Titans snagged tailback Darrynton Evans, who some deemed as a running back with starting-caliber qualities if developed properly. He might end up seeing a decent amount of snaps in the regular season (to alleviate the load off Derrick Henry) if he impresses in the preseason.
To close the draft, Tennessee added some depth to their defensive line by selecting Larrell Murchison and drafted some developmental players in Cole McDonald and Chris Jackson.
Houston Texans
The Texans were limited on picks with just five. However, their first two selections are a pair that could help them tremendously on defense. Defensive lineman Ross Blacklock is a player who had first-round grades and represents good value as the No. 40 overall selection.
Florida linebacker Jonathan Greenard was another player the Texans got good value on and should’ve been taken a round earlier. He’ll give them a physical edge defender who has a lot of similarities to Dante Fowler Jr.
In round-four, the Texans landed another notable in offensive tackle Charlie Heck, who could enter their starting lineup in a year or two.
