The 2023 NFL Draft will have a large impact on the future of the AFC South
The NFL Draft is important for all teams, but no teams will be more impacted by the 2023 Draft than the Indianapolis Colts and the AFC South.
Soon, the NFL will have the 2023 Draft, and countless lives will be changed. NFL franchises will be changed as well. Every team will have multiple opportunities to make a pick that could have a drastic impact on a city and state for the next decade or so, as well as the NFL. In terms of league competitiveness, no division may be more impacted by this draft than the AFC South.
Three of the four teams in the AFC South are somewhat stuck between phases, and the 2023 Draft could determine what the next decade of the franchises will look like. As things currently stand, two AFC South teams are picking in the top four (Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts), and the Tennessee Titans could possibly be trading into the top four.
The most comfortable team in the division right now is the champion Jacksonville Jaguars. That’s still a bit surprising since they were the league’s worst team for two years straight prior to this last season. Now, Jacksonville has a ton of young talent and stable coaching, and the rest of the division is trying to catch up to them.
In a recent piece by Jared Dubin for CBS Sports, looking at “Five AFC teams that must ace their picks,” Dubin pointed out just how dire this draft is for the AFC South. Of the five teams listed, three were the Colts, Texans, and Titans.
Colts, Texans, and Titans are under pressure to have a good draft
All these teams were pretty much listed for the same reasons. They all are in the mix for quarterbacks, and they need to make the necessary picks to set themselves up for the franchise’s next chapter. An unsuccessful draft for one of the teams could result in further regression, and another year removed from getting back to contender status.
If all three teams do leave the first round with quarterbacks, that would be a fun storyline to follow in the coming years. Three first-round QBs all drafted to the same division as they hope to compete with a recent No. 1 overall quarterback for AFC South supremacy. Which team will draft the right quarterback and make the most of this pivotal draft?