NFL rookie grades, AFC South: Texans hit on franchise cornerstones; Jags, Titans boost O-line

Round 1

• (No. 2) C.J. Stroud, QB | 15 games/starts
• (3) Will Anderson Jr., DL | 15 games/13 starts

Round 2

• (62) Juice Scruggs, OL | 7 games/ 6 starts

Round 3

• (69) Tank Dell, WR | 11 games/8 starts

Round 4

• (109) Dylan Horton, DL | 10 games/0 starts

Round 5

• (167) Henry To’oTo’o, LB | 15 games/6 starts

Round 6

• (201) Jarrett Patterson, OL | 7 games/starts
• (205) Xavier Hutchinson, WR | 16 games/0 starts

Round 7

• (248) Brandon Hill, DB | 2 games/0 starts

Notable free agent signees

• Ty Zentner , P | 4 games

The Texans’ first two picks were the building blocks of their AFC South-winning squad, capturing Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year, respectively. Stroud played with the poise of a veteran, throwing 23 touchdown passes and just five interceptions while leading the team to an unexpected division title. He and third-year pro Nico Collins (who dwarfed his previous bests in most receiving categories) formed one of the top passing-game duos in the league, with the strong-armed former Buckeye also breaking out of the pocket when necessary. 

Anderson had seven sacks on the year (including four in December) while playing through an ankle injury to help Houston make its playoff push. His relentless nature allowed him to bowl over lesser blockers and chase plays down the line when teams tried running away from his side.

Injuries hampered the Texans’ Day 2 picks, but both showed signs of being future contributors. Dell was well on his way to being a 1,000-yard receiver, as well as a major threat as a punt returner, before suffering a broken leg in December. Hopefully the 5-foot-10, 165-pound playmaker returns healthy for 2024. Scruggs was lost to a hamstring injury in the preseason but returned for the second half of the year to play a solid left guard. 

Houston’s later picks contributed, though they went through their tribulations. Patterson was Houston’s starting center for the first half of the season until suffering a leg injury. Horton left the team because of a personal health matter in November, but before then, he showed promise as a reserve pass rusher; he is on the reserve/non-football illness list. Head coach DeMeco Ryans surely liked what he saw in To’oTo’o (like Ryans, a former Alabama linebacker), who finished with 57 tackles, although the bulk of those came in the first half of the season; in the second half, To’oTo’o missed games with a concussion, and his snap count came down. Hutchinson will be a solid No. 2 or 3 receiver in the future. Zentner was an injury replacement for Cameron Johnston early on; Zentner would play a similar role for the Titans later in the season (see below).

Round 1

• (No. 27) Anton Harrison, OL | 17 games/starts

Round 2

• (61) Brenton Strange, TE | 14 games/4 starts

Round 3

• (88) Tank Bigsby, RB | 17 games/0 starts

Round 4

• (121) Ventrell Miller, LB | 0 games/starts
• (130) Tyler Lacy, DL | 15 games/0 starts

Round 5

• (136) Yasir Abdullah, LB | 5 games/0 starts
• (160) Antonio Johnson, DB | 13 games/3 starts

Round 6

• (185) Parker Washington, WR | 9 games/1 start
• (202) Christian Braswell, DB | 3 games/0 starts
• (208) Erick Hallett, DB | 0 games/starts

Round 7

• (226) Cooper Hodges, OL | 0 games/starts
• (227) Raymond Vohasek, DL | 0 games/starts
• (240) Derek Parish, RB | 0 games/starts

Notable free agent signees

• Elijah Cooks, WR | 9 games/0 starts

The Jaguars should be able to bank on Harrison manning the right tackle spot for the next few seasons. He struggled a bit at the beginning of the year but improved as the season went on and looks the part of a solid starter. Finding a reliable tackle was crucial, because the makeup of the rest of Jacksonville’s offensive line for 2024 is a bit murky, with Cam Robinson ($21.2 million cap hit in 2024) being a potential cap casualty, Walker Little lacking a set starting position and more bodies required in the middle.  

The team’s Day 2 selections contributed as reserves. Bigsby only logged 50 rushing attempts for 132 yards and one reception for 6 yards on the year because Travis Etienne carried the load. Tank should play a larger role if the team’s rushing attack becomes more efficient in 2024. Strange caught five passes for 35 yards and a score, playing a lot of snaps early in the year before a foot injury limited his effectiveness. He and Evan Engram should become a strong one-two punch next season.

Miller’s rookie year was over before it started, thanks to an Achilles injury he suffered in the preseason finale. Lacy and Johnson flashed as rookies, portending greater contributions in Year 2. Washington finally got on the field in Week 4 but suffered an injury on a punt return. Later in the year, he scored in consecutive games, and then his snaps tailed off again — watch for a breakout from him in 2024. The team did not get contributions from its other late-round picks. Cooks was mostly a special teamer, though he did nab three catches for 38 yards against the Bucs in Week 16.

Round 1

• (No. 11) Peter Skoronski, OL | 14 games/starts

Round 2

• (33) Will Levis, QB | 9 games/starts

Round 3

• (81) Tyjae Spears, RB | 17 games/1 starts

Round 5

• (147) Josh Whyle, TE | 11 games/3 starts

Round 6

• (186) Jaelyn Duncan, OL | 10 games/5 starts

Round 7

• (228) Colton Dowell, WR | 10 games/1 start

Notable free agent signees

• Anthony Kendall, CB | 16 games/0 starts
• Eric Garror, DB | 12 games/4 starts
• Matthew Jackson, DB | 10 games/0 starts
• Otis Reese, LB | 7 games/3 starts
• TK McLendon Jr., DL | 7 games/2 starts
• Ty Zentner P | 5 games
• John Ojukwu, OL | 3 games/starts

The Titans needed toughness in the middle of their offensive line, and that’s what Skoronski provided them. Only a ruptured appendix kept him off the field this year, for three games in September and October; the team ran behind its new left guard as soon as possible, despite the fact that he’d just transitioned from playing left tackle in college. Skoronski hit the rookie wall at the end of the year, giving up sacks in four consecutive games, per Pro Football Focus, but he showed enough to be considered one of the top up-and-coming linemen in the league.

Tennessee traded up to get Levis near the top of the second round, a move that appears to have paid off. While his play was inconsistent, like that of most rookies, and he missed the end of the season with a foot injury, his instant connection with DeAndre Hopkins and the mobility he showed might give the Titans’ new coaching staff something to consider when pondering the future of the franchise. Spears tossed aside pre-draft fears about a running back playing without one of his ACLs, putting up 4.5 yards per rush behind the soon-to-be departed Derrick Henry. He was a true dual threat in the backfield, accumulating over 800 yards of offense (453 rushing, 385 receiving).

The Titans had few Day 3 picks due to ill-fated trades for veteran receivers (they gave a fourth-round pick to Atlanta for Julio Jones in 2021 and a sixth-rounder to the Rams for Robert Woods in 2022). Whyle finished the season on injured reserve with a knee issue, but he looks like a good receiving and blocking tight end for the team’s two-tight end sets. Duncan was given a chance to play because of injuries on the line, but his pass protection skills must improve if he is to become a starting candidate in the future.  

Of the Titans’ undrafted free agents, most contributed on special teams. Ojukwu saw some time on the line. Reese started three games, with the highlight being a nine-tackle showing against the Texans in Week 17. And Garror was the team’s leading punt returner, though he did fumble twice. Zentner, an ex-Texan, filled in after punter Ryan Stonehouse’s season-ending knee injury in Week 13.

Round 1

• (No. 4) Anthony Richardson, QB | 4 games/starts

Round 2

• (44) Julius Brents, CB | 9 games/8 starts

Round 3

• (79) Josh Downs, WR | 17 games/9 starts

Round 4

• (106) Blake Freeland, OL | 16 games/9 starts
• (110) Adetomiwa Adebawore, DL | 10 games/0 starts

Round 5

• (138) Darius Rush, DB | 3 games/0 starts (w/ Steelers)
• (158) Daniel Scott, DB | 0 games/starts
• (162) Will Mallory, TE | 12 games/2 starts
• (176) Evan Hull, RB | 1 game/0 starts

Round 6

• (211) Titus Leo, DL | 0 games/starts

Round 7

• (221) Jaylon Jones, CB | 17 games/10 starts
• (236) Jake Witt, OL | 0 games/starts

Notable free agent signees

• Ameer Speed, DB | 8 games/0 starts
• Isaiah Land, LB | 7 games/2 starts

Richardson showed promise as a dual-threat quarterback. He was the opening-day starter but suffered multiple injuries, and his season was ended by shoulder surgery just on month in. I thought perhaps his thick build and athleticism would help him stay healthy, but if he’s unable to avoid the trainer’s table, it’s going to be tough for him to become a franchise quarterback. 

Given the success Stroud had as a rookie for the division rival Texans, the pressure will be on Richardson and head coach Shane Steichen to come up big in 2024. Downs should help relieve that burden for Richardson; he proved to be one of the steals of the third round as a slot receiver, finishing second on the team in receptions (68) and receiving yards (771), behind Michael Pittman Jr. (Downs also posted 11.3 yards per catch and two receiving touchdowns.) 

The team’s other Friday night selection, Brents, missed time due to injuries and experienced the typical ups and downs of a rookie cornerback learning on the job. He’ll need to have a healthy sophomore campaign if the Colts are to learn whether he’ll be a lockdown corner or someone the team will try to replace in the starting lineup in a year.

The Colts needed a swing tackle, and Freeland played that role well, lining up on the left and right sides. Mallory was a solid fifth-round pick (18-207-11.5 receiving). Adebawore had just four tackles in 10 contests. Rush was cut before the season in favor of the up-and-coming Jones, finishing the year with the Steelers. Hull (who showed promise in the preseason), Scott, Leo and Witt all spent time on injured reserve. Speed, a sixth-round pick by the Patriots who was scooped off waivers in October, was a special teams contributor. Land only logged a handful of defensive snaps, including just two against the Bucs in Week 12 — but he sacked Baker Mayfield on one of them.