The draft gurus have weighed in and now it's time to hear from the rest of the division. NFL Nation's AFC South reporters teamed up to offer thoughts on the other teams' drafts.
Here's what they said about the Tennessee Titans:
Texans reporter Tania Ganguli: If you can’t get an RGIII-type deal, there’s no reason to give up the second pick in the draft. Following the reports on draft day, it seemed that’s what the Titans were after and when they didn’t get it, they took the only remaining quarterback in the draft worth a high first-round pick. It’s a quarterback-driven league and if that position isn’t settled, very little else matters. I’ve seen that firsthand here in Houston. I think the Titans have settled it with Marcus Mariota and that would have been the only pick by which this draft would be judged if they didn’t also take receiver Dorial Green-Beckham in the second round. That’s a risk and one that could hurt the Titans in the long run as Green-Beckham’s character concerns are significant. If he stays out of trouble he could wind up being an incredible steal where he was drafted, but that’s a big if given his past.
Jaguars reporter Mike DiRocco: I liked the decision to take Mariota at No. 2 instead of trading down. I don’t know how good of a player he’ll be but from everything I’ve read if he fails it won’t be because he didn’t have the drive or work ethic. Ken Whisenhunt is a good QB tutor and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get more out of Mariota as a rookie than most expect. After Mariota, though, I wasn’t impressed with the Titans’ draft. No way would I have touched Green-Beckham. He’s had two marijuana arrests -- including one in which a pound of marijuana was found in a car in which he was riding -- and was investigated for allegedly pushing a woman down a flight of stairs. (He wasn’t charged and police said the victim wouldn’t cooperate.) On top of that, there are questions about his toughness on the field. I did like the selection of running back David Cobb in the fifth round. He’s a big back (5-foot-11, 229 pounds) who should complement Bishop Sankey, who ran for 569 yards as a rookie last season. The Titans need a running game to take pressure off Mariota and Cobb and Sankey should be a pretty good tandem.
Colts reporter Mike Wells: You NEED a franchise player and the Titans (hopefully) found their guy in Mariota. The Colts have proved over the past three seasons that a franchise quarterback can mask a lot of flaws on the roster. I’m definitely not saying Mariota is in the same class as Andrew Luck when he came out in 2012, but his athleticism and mobility should help the Titans in some areas where they struggle on offense. You can’t question Green-Beckham’s skills. He was one of the most gifted receivers in this draft class. It’s his attitude away from the field that’s questionable. You’re talking about a player who was kicked off Missouri’s team and only practiced at Oklahoma. The Titans don’t have a veteran quarterback to help keep Green-Beckham in line. That may be too much to ask for Mariota or second-year quarterback Zach Mettenberger to do.