NFL Draft Grades - AFC South: Jaguars poised to stay on top
With the 2018 NFL Draft officially complete, theScore's NFL editors hand out their initial grades for how teams fared during all seven rounds.
NFC
EAST | NORTH | SOUTH | WEST
AFC
EAST | NORTH | SOUTH | WEST
Houston Texans
RD. | PLAYER |
---|---|
3 | S Justin Reid |
3 | C Martinas Rankin |
3 | TE Jordan Akins |
4 | WR Keke Coutee |
6 | DE Duke Ejiofor |
6 | TE Jordan Thomas |
6 | LB Peter Kalambayi |
7 | CB Jermaine Kelly |
The Texans entered the draft without a pick in the first two rounds, so it was going to be difficult adding multiple impact players. Reid could be a solid backup and third safety in his rookie year, but beyond him, there are no guarantees that the Texans' selections will be memorable.
Grade: C
Indianapolis Colts
RD. | PLAYER |
---|---|
1 | G Quenton Nelson |
2 | LB Darius Leonard |
2 | G Braden Smith |
2 | EDGE Kemoko Turay |
2 | DE Tyquan Lewis |
4 | RB Nyheim Hines |
5 | WR Daurice Fountain |
5 | RB Jordan Wilkins |
6 | WR Deon Cain |
7 | LB Matthew Adams |
7 | LB Zaire Franklin |
After taking arguably the best player in the draft with Nelson in the first round, the Colts had their fans scratching their heads on a few picks, which led to disappointing reactions through the first two days. Indianapolis found possible weapons for Andrew Luck on Day 3, but ultimately walked away without a huge amount of excitement after using five picks in the first two rounds.
Grade: C+
Jacksonville Jaguars
RD. | PLAYER |
---|---|
1 | DT Taven Bryan |
2 | WR D.J. Chark |
3 | S Ronnie Harrison |
4 | OT Will Richardson |
6 | QB Tanner Lee |
7 | LB Leon Jacobs |
7 | P Logan Cooke |
The Jaguars, a team picking late in each round, took advantage of their situation without any glaring needs besides quarterback - which is a completely separate debate. The Jaguars found impactful players with their first three picks, including a huge steal with Harrison in the third round. Their later-round selections fell off a bit, but even in the seventh, they technically got a "starter" in Cooke.
Grade: B+
Tennessee Titans
RD. | PLAYER |
---|---|
1 | LB Rashaan Evans |
2 | EDGE Harold Landry |
5 | DB Dane Cruikshank |
6 | QB Luke Falk |
The Titans showed up to the draft with six picks in hand, made a series of small trades, and came away with a solid addition with every selection. Of course, the problem with that is they only chose four players. Evans and Landry address the Titans' biggest need as pass-rushers, while Cruikshank will at least be a valuable special teamer, and Falk can be a formidable backup.
Grade: B
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