AFC South Draft Review: 2026 NFL Draft

The 2026 Draft is in the rear-view, and you can see what teams did to construct their rosters for this upcoming season. My goal is to review and give some insights into what the teams were thinking. I know Jacksonville Jaguars fans aren’t super pleased, but I’m going to give some hope! NOTE: I don’t do grades; I find them utterly silly, so I’ll just be talking about whether I liked their draft class and some things I liked or didn’t like about it. 

AFC South Draft Review: 2026 NFL Draft

Houston Texans

With the Texans, they targeted areas of need early, with two players that should start from day 1, or at least pretty early on. I liked McDonald more, but their landing both Rutledge and McDonald was a strong pair. Both are very athletic interior players and have played at a high level against big-time competition throughout their collegiate careers. After them, Klein has a chance to play early, but definitely not starting from day 1. He gives Schultz vibes when you watch him. You can tell the Texans have a type for their tight ends. Their day three choices are quality depth. I like Ramsey the most in the group, but all should make this roster as either practice squad players or backend pieces.

Indianapolis Colts

Even without a 1st round pick, I’d argue the Colts made the most of what they had to use. Landing two possible starters on day two was huge for them, and CJ Allen’s a linebacker who could be the quarterback of that defense in time. He’s super-smart, an elite athlete, and has already been a green dot-wearing player. I like the depth players they added on day three, and Boettcher is another big-time athlete who could develop into a starter for them in time. Both Gumbs and Curry have plenty of room to grow, and not having to start, they will have plenty of time to do so. The nice thing is, both already have some really intriguing tools, and with the right seasoning, you could see them as nice rotational pieces down the road.

Jacksonville Jaguars

I know most people have been bashing this draft class, but for another team without a first-round pick, I don’t hate the direction they went. They didn’t have any starting positions to fill immediately, so they targeted players who had some tools they liked and could develop into starters in time. Boerkircher may not have filled up the stat sheet, but this do-it-all tight end could immediately help behind Brenton Strange, especially with how many teams are deploying multiple tight ends throughout the game. Regis and sit back and learn behind some vets, but he has a really good athletic profile.

Pregnon was by far my favorite pick for the team and should push for playing time sooner rather than later. After that, we see a lot of depth pieces with something intriguing, where it’s both edge rushers with high athletic profiles but a need for time to develop, or wideouts that have a chance to shoot up the depth chart quickly. All in all, this class may seem underwhelming, but if you trust this coaching staff, trust that they can develop talent.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans did a great job of building around Cam Ward and adding some strong players to help their defense. Tate will step in and start, and with his route-running ability, Ward will quickly fall in love with him. According to FPTrack’s ADP rankings Tate is already valued as a top 30 fantasy wide receiver as a rookie. Faulk and Hill could easily step into starting roles this season for that defense, and with Saleh and company, we should see both make a big-time impact for this team (which they desperately need). Of their three choices, Carmona and Coogan figure to push for backup roles and definitely could be players they see start for them down the road, and Nicholas Singleton can sit behind Spears and Pollard, but he will push for their starting job and has the tools to be a plus starter at the next level.