Discussion of First Round Possibilities AFC South

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Indianapolis Colts do not have a first round
Jacksonville Jaguars holds the first overall selection
Houston Texans holds the 3rd & 13th selections
Tennessee Titans holds the 26th selection

Will the Indianapolis Colts trade back into the first using future picks or trade a player?
Do the Jacksonville Jaguars bolster the OL or take a premier EDGE with the first overall pick? Aidan Hutchinson, Travon Walker, Ikem Ekwonu and/or Evan Neal?
Do the Houston Texans fill needs on the OL or go defense with both first round picks? Ikem Ekwonu, Evan Neal, Tyler Linderbaum, Ahmad Gardner, Kyle Hamilton?
Do the Tennessee Titans find a replaceable option for Julio Jones at receiver? Christian Watson, George Pickens, Jahan Dotson?

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Indianapolis Colts
2022 Draft Picks
Round 2: No. 42 overall (from Commanders)
Round 3: No. 73 (from Commanders)
Round 4: No. 122
Round 5: Nos. 159, 179
Round 6: No. 216
Round 7: No. 239

Team needs
Offense
The Colts just made a major move for Matt Ryan to get him as the team’s quarterback heading into the new season. That’s a clear upgrade over Wentz and should help them contend in the playoffs. Still, he’s getting old and they should look into drafting a successor sooner rather than later. They also need to get Ryan people to pass the ball too. Outside of Michael Pittman Jr., there were virtually no passing threats on the team.

Defense
The Colts need an edge rusher or two for depth as well as some help on the back end of the secondary. The good news for Indy is that this year’s cornerback class is one of the bets in years, so they can get a solid player despite having no first-round pick.

Dream first pick
Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
Having no picks until so late in the draft, it’s unlikely there are going to be many highly-touted prospects still on the board. Still, they could grab a really really good pass-catcher or DB early on in the second round since those classes are both very deep this season. If Olave happens to slip to them, he’d be a dream pick.

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Jacksonville Jaguars
2022 Draft Picks
Round 1: No. 1 overall
Round 2: No. 33
Round 3: Nos. 65, 70 (from Panthers)
Round 4: No. 106
Round 5: No. 157 (from Vikings)
Round 6: Nos. 180, 188 (from Seahawks), 197 (from Eagles), 198 (from Steelers)
Round 7: Nos. 222, 235 (from Ravens)

Team needs
Offense
The Jags spent some real money when free agency hit and took care of some of their most dire positions, including adding a franchise tag to left tackle Cam Robinson. They also added WR Christian Kirk who should bring a lot to the lineup and help QB Trevor Lawrence move the ball down the field more efficiently. They could definitely use another young wide receiver to stack the depth chart and develop along with Lawrence. They added 26-year-old Zay Jones to their receiving corps as well, but they could benefit from picking a guy like Georgia WR George Pickens, which would give them plenty of depth and room to grow in the long term.

Defense
One of the Jags’ biggest defensive needs heading into next season is an edge rusher. While they already made several signings before the draft to bolster plenty of positions, edge rusher is one position where they haven’t made a move yet. They could potentially pick someone like Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson at No. 1 overall. Hutchinson barely missed out on the Heisman Trophy in his senior year, finishing second in the voting on the award.

The Jaguars could also use a linebacker after releasing LB Myles Jack, who recently signed with the Steelers. They’ll need to bring in someone who can slot in next to Foyesade Oluokun, so that could easily be a position they’ll look to fill via the draft.

Dream first pick
Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan
With the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Jaguars actually can grab their dream first pick as they’ll have all available options open to them. The only question is, which direction do they go with that first pick? It doesn’t make a lot of sense to draft a WR or QB in this slot, but they could easily go for someone like the aforementioned Aidan Hutchinson, who’s coming off a monster senior year in 2021 for Michigan. Hutchinson underwhelmed in the college playoffs last season, but he would fill a spot that the Jaguars are in desperate need of heading into the 2022 season.

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Houston Texans
2022 Draft Picks
Round 1: Nos. 3, 13 (from Browns) overall
Round 2: No. 37
Round 3: Nos. 68, 80 (from Saints)
Round 4: No. 108
Round 6: Nos. 183, 205 (from Packers), 207 (from 49ers through Jets)
Round 7: No. 245 (from Cowboys)

Team needs
Offense
Honestly, it would probably be easier to list off what position isn’t of need for Houston this offseason. Still, there are bigger priorities than others, with the biggest on the offensive side of the ball being WR. Brandin Cooks had a fantastic season, but that’s really all you can say about Houston’s WRs last season. Quarterback is also a need, just not this season. Davis Mills will more than likely be the starter again as the franchise waits for a more surefire prospect under center next season.

Defense
The edge rushers and cornerback rooms need a lot of help. Both are positions of extreme importance for any team, but a solid pass rusher off the edge could be the foundation for the team’s rebuild as a whole.

Dream first pick
Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon
Thibodeaux should still probably be available at the third overall mark and the team will still have plenty of elite DBs on the board when they make their second pick in the first round.

Dream second pick
Tyler Linderbaum, IOL Iowa
Linderbaum has exceptional athleticism. He explodes out of his stance with exceptional fluidity. Once he’s out of his stance, he’s always moving, always on his feet. Linderbaum gets out to the second level exceptionally well in the run game, easily outpacing his compatriots on the offensive line. For a guy who is listed at 289 pounds, he demonstrates phenomenal play speed.

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Tennessee Titans
2022 Draft Picks
Round 1: No. 26
Round 3: No. 90
Round 4: No. 131
Round 4: No. 143 (Compensatory Pick)
Round 5: No. 169
Round 6: No. 205
Round 6: No. 220 (Compensatory Pick)

Team Needs
Offense
The Titans were not good in pass protection in 2021 and must improve in that area after finishing with 47 sacks allowed, the seventh-most in the NFL. Titans should explore bringing in an insurance policy behind him in the form of a better backup quarterback. Titans were sorely lacking depth at the wide receiver position in 2021, and the fact that the team banished Josh Reynolds because of special teams only made things worse.
Defense
The likes of both Rashaan Evans and Jayon Brown left in free agency. There’s also a question about their ability in coverage. Evans yielded a 76% catch rate when targeted in 2021. After breakout performances in 2018 and 2019, Brown has struggled each of the past two years. That has included signal callers posting a 104.2 QB rating when targeting him.

Dream first pick
Treylon Burks, WR Arkansas
Burks is a traditional big bodies playmaker that plays with physicality. He comes with deceptive athletic upside. He is well put together and possesses insanely large hands. He has to have custom 5x gloves made to wear on game day. His hand size maximizes his ability to catch and grip the ball. He is both willing and able run blocker that is physical at the point of contact. Treylon does an excellent job of getting his hands on the man and blocking downfield.

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