Draft Grades (AFC South)

Houston Texans- Houston had two major needs going into the draft: offensive line and defense and they addressed both those needs in acquiring two offensive linemen: Charles Spencer (guard out of Pittsburgh) and Eric Winston (tackle out of Miami). They drafted tight end Owen Daniels of Wisconsin, tailback Wali Lundy of Virginia, and receiver David Anderson of Colorado State. Their top two picks were their best ones of the draft, taking defensive end Mario Williams of NC State first overall and then taking Alabama outside linebacker DeMeco Ryans in the 2nd round. Texans fans and "experts" may be upset and critical of Houston not taking Reggie Bush #1, but they had themselves a fine draft regardless of who went #1. Grade- B+

Indianapolis Colts- Indy would never find an immediate replacement for Edgerrin James, especially in a draft, but they're attempting to soften the blow as much as possible, in drafting LSU tailback Joseph Addai in the first round. The rest of their picks were geared toward the secondary (Tim Jennings- Georgia) and offensive line. With their final six picks, Indy just attempted to add depth and make for more competition at a positions. Their most important pick was in the first round to fill the void left by one the better running backs in the game. With Rhodes and Addai, Indy hopes the loss of James won't be felt too greatly. Grade- B-

Jacksonville Jaguars- The Jaguars added depth to their aggressive and stout defense with their final four picks. With their first two, they went out west and chose two Bruins: tight end Mercedes Lewis and tailback Maurice Drew. Drew is a smaller back, but is also a do-everything kind of back that can catch balls out of the backfield and return kicks or punts. Lewis, while not too consistent at UCLA, has the potential and athleticism to be a big-time target for quarterback Byron Leftwich. Grade- B

Tennessee Titans- Michael Irvin loved the Titans picks, especially who they took at #3 in the draft, quarterback Vince Young of Texas. I, however, don't like that pick. Matt Leinart or Jay Cutler would've been much better suited for Norm Chow's offense, especially considering the Titans are likely to release Steve McNair as soon as today. Whomever Tennessee drafted at #3, then, would likely be starting this season and Young is the least ready of all three quarterbacks. They did pretty well the rest of the draft though, stealing tailback LenDale White in the second round, grabbing three solid outside linebackers, along with Wisconsin wideout Jonathan Orr. The rest of their picks in the draft somewhat make up for their bad #3 pick, but then again, they might not make up for it if and when McNair gets released. Grade- B