Houston Texans

I always felt Brian Cushing’s best fit was at SLB in a 4-3, he should be a good playmaking addition to the defense. Connor Barwin was a steal in the 2nd, even if all they do is line him up opposite Mario Williams on 3rd down and move Antonio Smith. Nothing that’s going to accelerate the push to a playoff berth, but excellent baby steps. I expect them to address running back in the 3rd round.

Grade: C

Indianapolis Colts

Quite possibly one of the top five first day drafts. Everything the Colts do on draft day indicates complete clarity from Bill Polian. They were in position to address the running back position, which seemed even more likely when they did not keep Dominic Rhodes, and they got a high character, high effort, high talent back in Donald Brown. Expect Addai to play second fiddle even if he gets the ceremonial first series for the veteran in every game.

Grade: A

Jacksonville Jaguars

Eugene Monroe at #8 was a coup. Michael Crabtree or BJ Raji would have been a coup. Sanchez, Jackson, and Heyward-Bey getting into the top 7 insured that they were going to get a player in a lot of people’s top 5 at the 8 slot. Tre Thomas is just keeping the LT spot warm for Monroe. Eben Britton gives the Jags a terrific bookend. The irony is that the lack of interior line depth was actually the downfall of the team last year, but I can’t argue with what they did.

Grade: C

Tennessee Titans

A classic Titans draft. Take the athlete and hope the game comes around. I like it a lot better with Sen’Derrick Marks because they seem to have been successful with this strategy on defense. Kenny Britt is big, strong, and fast, but his hands come and go. They finally addressed WR, but I think fans would have felt a lot better if the pick had been Hakeem Nicks.

Grade: D