AFC South ready to rise from ashes

For too long, the AFC South has been a joke - a constant punchline whenever the quality of the NFL's eight divisions are discussed.

But after all four teams retooled during free agency, and added impact players in the first round of the draft Thursday, the AFC South could be primed for a return to glory.

The Jacksonville Jaguars kicked off the night for the division on Thursday by selecting running back Leonard Fournette at fourth overall, a reach in the eyes of some, but a completely necessary pick if the Jaguars are to move away from Blake Bortles as the centerpiece of their offense.

Fournette is an old school, downhill-type runner who can handle 25 touches a game from Day 1. His presence will not only ease the workload on Bortles, it'll put the young quarterback in much more favorable situations, and hopefully reduce the amount of "what the hell" plays that dominated his 2016 season.

Unless Bortles makes a miraculous turnaround, the Jaguars aren't going to be a force until they find a franchise quarterback. However, their defense showed a ton of promise last season, ranking sixth in yards allowed per game. And the additions of free agents Calais Campbell and A.J. Bouye might propel Jacksonville into a near-elite defensive unit.

Before last season, the Jaguars received far too much hype. Expectations should be realistic for 2017, but the Jaguars should no longer be the division's pushover.

Next up was the Tennessee Titans, who owned two first-round picks (fifth and 18th overall). Again, the Titans' first pick of Corey Davis could be considered a reach, but the wide receiver is a high-character guy who excels at catching the deep ball as well as any player in this draft.

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Marcus Mariota needed a player with whom he can grow with for the foreseeable future, and Davis is the perfect No. 1 target. The Titans will still rely heavily on their dominant offensive line and running game, but it was vital they continue to help Mariota along his current path to elite status.

At 18, the Titans addressed their most glaring hole on defense by picking up cornerback Adoree' Jackson to pair with free-agent pickup Logan Ryan. Jackson will need time to refine his game, but possesses outstanding athleticism and provides value as an explosive returner.

The Titans continue to fly under the radar, but in the weak AFC, they could be a surprise contender if they hit on several more players on Day 2 and Mariota takes another significant jump in his development.

Last year's AFC South champion, the Houston Texans, made one of the night's most dramatic moves by moving up from 25th overall to 12th for quarterback Deshaun Watson.

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The Brock Osweiler debacle was costly. Not only did the Texans pay him $18 million in 2016, they were forced to hand over a 2018 second-round pick to the Browns so Cleveland would take on his albatross of a contract.

In order to get Watson, the Texans gave the Browns their 2018 first-rounder, too.

So, simply put, the Texans are all in - and that suits the poised Watson perfectly, after a college career in which he was famous for never crumbling under pressure. Houston will continue to say Tom Savage is the starter, but it will be a huge shock if Watson isn't under center in Week 1.

On top of the upgrade at quarterback, the Texans will get J.J. Watt back healthy in 2017 to a defense that ranked first in the league without him in 2016 - a scary prospect for every AFC team.

If Watson can perform at a league-average standard, getting the ball quickly into the hands on DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller, and Lamar Miller while allowing the defense to be dominant, Houston could finally live up to its potential.

Lastly, the Indianapolis Colts may have walked away from the first round with the best value pick of the day, snagging top free safety prospect Malik Hooker at 15th overall.

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Hooker was widely considered a top-10 pick, and few saw him getting past the Los Angeles Chargers at seventh overall.

Safety wasn't the Colts' biggest need. Their cornerback depth is abysmal and their pass rush needs an infusion of athleticism in the worst way. But general manager Chris Ballard, unlike his predecessor Ryan Grigson, knew it wasn't smart to pass up a blue-chip defender, despite what your needs are.

While the Colts' defense is still a significant work in progress, Hooker joins solid free-agent signings Johnathan Hankins, Jabaal Sheard, and John Simon, as well as promising young players like Henry Anderson and Clayton Geathers. Andrew Luck might have to carry Indy for a little while longer, but the Colts have finally begun to build a defense their star quarterback deserves.

For all the teams in the division, they'll need to continue to make smart picks for the rest of the draft, filling needs and taking calculated risks.

But for the first time in a long time, the state of the AFC South is no laughing matter.