NFL Draft Day 1 Recap: AFC South

The 2014 NFL Draft kicked off tonight with a bang. In this article, I’ll be reviewing the picks for the teams in the AFC South Division and lucky for me, three of their four teams picked in the top 11, including two of the top three. Since the 4^th team, the Indianapolis Colts, don’t even have a 1^st round pick, I’ll be discussing the other teams selecting arguably the best players in the draft and how they fit into their now current team’s plans. Then I’ll be giving you a preview of what is to come for these teams tomorrow, but let us get right into the 1^st round picks for the AFC South.

Houston Texans:

1^st overall – DE Jadeveon Clowney 6’6 266 lbs from South Carolina – This was a no brainer type of pick. He is too talented and too valuable for them not to pick. They will hope he can do what Mario Williams did and transition from a 4-3 DE to a 3-4 OLB. He maybe athletic enough to make the adjustment.

How he fits in – Clowney is a strong athletic freak who will start immediately at OLB and at times be a major disrupter lining up on the same front 7 as JJ Watt. The only thing I question is the scheme. I see Clowney as more of a 4-3 DE, but he will have to play OLB and actually play in coverage sometimes.

Jacksonville Jaguars:

3^rd overall – QB Blake Bortles 6’5 232 lbs from UCF – In my opinion, Bortles was the best QB in this entire draft. He has the size you want as a QB, he has a strong arm, and he’s not a statue in the pocket. This was contender for pick of the night. He wiill quickly make Jacksonville fans forget about Blaine Gabbert.

How he fits in – Bortles will fit in Jacksonville perfectly. He doesn’t have to start his 1^st year, he stays home playing in Florida, and he is the 1^st legitimate guy I’ve seen them have at QB since Mark Brunell. They do need to get him more weapons, but they have another year to fill that void.

Tennessee Titans:

11^th overall – OT Taylor Lewan 6’7 309 lbs from Michigan – Lewan was rumored to go as high as 6^th to Atlanta, but with him falling, it appears that the Titans decided to go with their “Best Player Available” plan and take him even though may not even play right away. He is the most athletic OT in the draft.

How he fits in – This is the biggest question regarding the pick. The Titans have Michael Roos at LT and just signed Michael Oher to man the RT spot. Both only have 1 year left on their deals, but as of right now, with both healthy, Lewan doesn’t really have an open spot for his rookie year, very questionable.

Indianapolis Colts:

No picks – The Colts should be the 26^th pick, but that pick was traded away when they obtained Trent Richardson from the Cleveland Browns. With that pick, the Browns selected a little known guy named, Johnny Manziel. Colts will open up their 2014 NFL Draft on day two.

Tomorrow will be the 2^nd and 3^rd rounds of the NFL draft. The Houston Texans will be picking 33^rd, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be picking 39^th, the Tennessee Titans will be picking 42^nd, and the Indianapolis Colts will be making their 1^st selection of the 2014 NFL draft with the 59^th pick. Check back in after round three for more analysis on the 2^nd and 3^rd round picks from Day two.