The Houston Texans might have added their own rookies, but there are rookies from the AFC South they should be worried about as well.
Where should the reigning AFC South champions start when it comes to the Houston Texans news that they will be just average for the upcoming 2020 season? Granted, one projection of a team in early May doesn’t mean much at the moment, but what the Texans should be worrying about are some of the rookies who are joining the division following the NFL Draft.
It is known that all three of the Texans’ rivals have improved on their roster this offseason, and using the 2020 NFL Draft makes the Texans news in the AFC South a little more interesting because some of the players chosen by the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts will become difference makers for their respective teams this fall.
The Colts and Jaguars had some impressive draft picks whose names jump off the page, for they are well-known from being stars at the collegiate level at positions that have name recognition. The Texans and Titans made some solid selections as well, though some of the players they picked were players who will make a name for themselves on Sunday, but might not be the “splash” type of name or selection.
Houston has won the AFC South for the past two seasons, but that doesn’t mean anything headed into the 2020 NFL season because this is a whole new year with new some players on each squad. Speaking of new players, next are four rookies whom the Texans should worry about because they are going to cause issues in the division this season.
4. Texans News: Isaiah Wilson is a new tackle drafted by the Titans
When the Tennessee Titans lost offensive Jack Conklin in free agency this offseason, as he joined the Cleveland Browns, that left a huge space empty that needed a brand-new tackle to take over that role.
That player ended up being Isaiah Wilson, a tackle from the University of Georgia, whom the Titans selected in the first round with the 29th overall selection. Remember, last season the Titans reached the AFC Championship game, and like the Texans, they were unable to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs when it mattered the most.
As for Wilson, there is no doubt that even though he’s a rookie, when he’s on the field for the Titans he’s going to make a big difference for the offensive unit, especially when it comes time for Derrick Henry to follow his blocking.
Wilson stands at 6’6” and weighs 350 pounds, so being that he’s built as a tackle made to be an offensive lineman, his strength of 26 reps at 225 pounds at the bench press shows he has the tools to be a special player.
The Texans will have a mix of veterans and rookies on their defensive line, and the linebackers will have to be careful against a player like Wilson too, because it will be of utmost importance that the front seven of the Texans defensive line knows the whereabouts of Wilson at all times this upcoming season because he can be a dominant player starting in year one of the career as a rookie.
3. Texans News: Indianapolis adds to WR depth chart with rookie Michael Pittman
Here is a player who would have looked very nice in a uniform of the Houston Texans, but alas, the Texans news came to be they didn’t need to draft a wide receiver in the second round, and there was also the fact Michael Pittman was already off the board as he was selected 34th overall.
Pittman was selected out of USC in the second, and because of the 2020 NFL Draft was full of talented wide receivers, Pittman was a second-round pick this year. That’s fine, because now all rookies are equal in the league as they made it past the draft, but now things are getting more serious for the Colts with Pittman on the roster.
Pittman in his final season at USC caught 101 passes in 13 games for 1,275 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 12.6 yards per reception. For his four years at USC, the 6’4” wide receiver totaled 171 receptions for 2,519 yards and 19 touchdowns, averaging 14.7 ypr.
The wide receiver from USC was the 34th player selected in the draft held in late April, and now with Philip Rivers as their signal caller, the Colts can help this rookie break out in year one with the likes of T.Y. Hilton and Paris Campbell around him.
Add those receivers with running backs fellow rookie Jonathan Taylor and Marlon Mack, and well, don’t be surprised to see Pittman stand out, as he’s not getting the very top coverage against him in 2020, at least.
2. Texans News: K’Lavon Chaisson could cause havoc to o-line
The team that could have an underrated defense in 2020 is the Jacksonville Jaguars because of the fact the team itself isn’t being projected as being very good, but individually this could be a season for members of the Jaguars defense to grow.
One player the Texans defense needs to worry about is edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson of LSU, whom Jacksonville selected with the 20th overall pick in the first round. Chaisson was a highly regarded player in the draft process of 2020, and for good reason. While at LSU in his final season the pass rusher — who is 6’3” and 254 pounds — played in 13 games as a linebacker, where he totaled 60 tackles (34 solo) with 13.5 tackles for loss, and he collected 6.5 sacks. Chaisson also had two passes defensed and forced one fumble in 2019 with LSU.
Chaisson finished his collegiate career with 46 solo tackles, 19 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks, along with four passes defensed for his career and the one forced fumble.
This is a player the offensive line will have to really keep a watch on twice a season, so the Texans news can’t be the Chaisson gains multiple sacks on franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson, or that the rookie stops the rushing game of David Johnson when facing the Jaguars.
Chaisson is a player to worry about because of the fact of his potential while playing the edge, and if the Texans don’t take him serious as a rookie, it could be a tough two games in AFC South play against Jacksonville.
1. Texans News: Jonathan Taylor can be a star in the NFL
Former Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor is a player to worry about because he is in fact one of the very best running backs drafted from the Class of 2020, and now the Indianapolis Colts have not one, but two running backs who can cause serious damage against the opposing defense.
Taylor— who was the 41st overall pick — is 5’10” and 226 pounds, and while at Wisconsin he made a name for himself with consecutive 2,000-yard rushing seasons, and even as a freshman, he rushed for nearly 2,000 yards.
As a freshman in 2017 Taylor had 299 carries in 14 games for 1,977 yards with 13 touchdowns. Next came the 2018 season, where he had 2,194 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns in 13 games on 307 carries.
If that wasn’t enough of a workload, this past season at Wisconsin, in 14 games, Taylor had 320 carries where he totaled 2,003 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns. In all, his career totals at the collegiate level included 926 carries for 6,174 yards and 50 touchdowns. Also in those three seasons, Taylor collected 42 receptions for 407 yards and five touchdowns.
Having Marlon Mack as a teammate will cut down on the usage of Taylor at the collegiate level, plus the Colts have great talent at wide receiver. The reason to worry about Taylor for the Texans, though, is the fact he can wear the defense down, as he’s used to having many carries come his way if needed.
The AFC South won’t be as easy of a division as some seem to think it will be, because of the influx of rookie talent this season. The Texans need to take note of the rookies just mentioned because they will be difference makers for their respective teams in 2020 and beyond.