The Fillability Index: AFC South

 

All of Planet Pigskin was shocked when the pathetic Texans bypassed Reggie Bush, one of the most electric college players in recent memory, for a defensive end. But in terms of filling its needs, it was the right and obvious thing to do. As the Cold, Hard Football Facts noted before the draft, "The Texans need help everywhere BUT running back." It was the only area where they had a modicum of mediocrity last year. In the first 66 picks, Houston picked up two highly touted defenders and two beefy offensive tackles. The Texans need all the help they can get at the point of attack, and they certainly made efforts to acquire it. Sure, Bush has the potential to be an electrifying NFL performer, but he would have done little to help Houston if he was getting hit in the backfield on every play while the defense was giving up nearly four TDs per game, as they did last year (26.9 PPG).

 

Round 1 (1) – DE Mario Williams, 6-7 294, N.C. State

Round 2 (33) – OLB DeMeco Ryans, 6-1, 235, Alabama

Round 3 (65) – T Charles Spencer, 6-5, 351, Pittsburgh

Round 3 (66) – T Eric Winston, 6-6, 311, Miami

Round 4 (98) – TE Owen Daniels, 6-3, 243, Wisconsin

Round 6 (170) – RB Wali Lundy, 5-11, 213, Virginia

Round 7 (251) – WR David Anderson, 5-10, 193, Colorado State

 

 

The Colts were so good last year they had little in the way of draft "needs." They had "wants." It becomes a question of style and strategy. First-round pick Joseph Addai was one of the top running backs on the board and an obvious pick for a team that lost Edgerrin James this offseason. But as the Chief Angry Troll noted on Indy sports radio last week, the Cold, Hard Football Facts believe the horse that will push Indy over the hump is size and attitude on defense – even if it comes at the expense of a star-studded offense. Consider this: The Colts do not have a single 300-pound player on their defensive roster. Not one. (They have seven on offense, plus two more added in the draft.) The biggest defender selected this year was speedy but woefully undersized: 5-11, 227-pound inside linebacker Freddie Keiaho. Still, from a Fillability perspective, a team with few holes had a perfectly suitable draft, led by Addai and the selection of three defensive backs.

 

Round 1 (30) – RB Joseph Addai, 5-11, 215, LSU

Round 2 (62) – CB Tim Jennings, 5-8, 186, Georgia

Round 3 (94) – ILB Freddie Keiaho, 5-11, 227, San Diego State

Round 5 (162) – G Michael Toudouze, 6-6, 302, TCU

Round 6 (199) – T Charlie Johnson, 6-4, 304, Oklahoma State

Round 6 (207) – S Antoine Bethea, 5-11, 203, Howard

Round 7 (238) – CB T.J. Rushing, 5-10, 175, Stanford

 

 

First-round pick Marcedes Lewis is not a wide receiver – which the Cold, Hard Football Facts said was one of Jacksonville's biggest needs – but at 6-6, he could provide a very attractive target for quarterback Byron Leftwich and his underperforming passing attack. The selections of two defensive ends and a linebacker also help address Jacksonville's other major problem, stopping the run.

 

Round 1 (28) – TE Marcedes Lewis, 6-6, 262, UCLA

Round 2 (60) – RB Maurice Drew, 5-7, 206, UCLA

Round 3 (80) – OLB Clint Ingram, 6-2, 245, Oklahoma

Round 5 (160) – DE Brent Hawkins, 6-2, 242, Illinois State

Round 7 (213) – DE James Wyche, 6-5, 263, Syracuse

Round 7 (236) – CB Demetrice Webb, 5-11, 182, Florida

 

 

As we noted before the draft, Tennessee's biggest problem last year was keeping opposing offenses out of the end zone. Still, it's hard to fault a team with a crippled, aging QB and no real No. 1 back for using its first two picks to grab two of the most talked-about and potentially productive offensive players to come out of the draft. Vince Young is a true physical freak – few men his size have ever run so fast – and has tremendous "upside," as they say. LenDale White was a great "value" pick in the middle of the second round. The Titans did devote six of their 10 picks to shoring up one of the worst defenses in the league, and they've already picked up a pair of defenders through free agency, former Pittsburgh defensive back Chris Hope and former Indy linebacker David Thornton.

 

Round 1 (3) – QB Vince Young, 6-5, 228, Texas

Round 2 (45) – RB LenDale White, 6-0, 237, USC

Round 4 (102) – S Calvin Lowry, 5-11, 197, Penn State

Round 4 (116) – ILB Stephen Tulloch, 5-11, 242, N.C. State

Round 5 (137) – OLB Terna Nande, 6-0, 233, Miami (Ohio)

Round 5 (169) – DT Jesse Mahelona, 6-1, 310, Tennessee

Round 6 (172) – WR Jonathan Orr, 6-2, 197, Wisconsin

Round 7 (215) – S Cortland Finnegan, 5-10, 189, Samford

Round 7 (245) – OLB Spencer Toone, 6-1, 235, Utah

Round 7 (246) – RB Quinton Ganther, 5-9, 219, Utah

 

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