AFC Notes: C.J. Stroud, Will Anderson, Colts, Texans, Titans

Colts

The Colts cited the size and traits of second-round CB Julius Brents as what stood out to them to make the pick, noting it’s hard to find guys who are as big and as fast as he is. Athletically he compares favorably to Jets CB Sauce Gardner, though the Colts aren’t putting those kinds of expectations on him right away. 

“Give the kid credit. He transferred out of Iowa, went to Kansas State and bet on himself,” Colts area scout Tyler Hughes said via the Athletic’s Zak Keefer. “When you pop on the tape, he’s not shying away from any type of contact. He’s got a chip on his shoulder, and he’s playing in his hometown city, and that chip’s gonna be even bigger when he knows he’s got a bunch of family and friends at each game. There’s no question about his competitive side, played through injuries and all that.”

• Colts third-round WR Josh Downs earned high marks for character, work ethic and polish, with area scout Chad Henry noting WR coach Reggie Wayne was advocating to add him to his room: “I mean, he’s kind of a human chain mover. Like, good luck covering him in a short area. I come up with nicknames for guys, and I call him “Hiccup” because he’s as quick as a hiccup, and your only solution to get rid of him is to drink some water, sit on the bench and hope he goes away.”
• Colts area scout Chris McGaha said they see fourth-round OT Blake Freeland fitting in right away as a swing tackle to back up either side: “The exciting thing is he comes in, competes and sees what happens. You feel good about a guy who can play multiple spots and have versatility for you and maybe get you out of a pinch, whatever that might look like.”
• Colts fourth-round DL Adetomiwa Adebawore was also appealing for his versatility, per Henry: “Went down to the Senior Bowl and that was kind of his first real showing at the three-technique. Did a little bit of that at Northwestern in subpackage. So he’s gonna be good in subpackage [for us].”
• Colts fifth-round CB Darius Rush is a former receiver who converted to cornerback, but like Brents his athletic ability and upside caught the team’s eye. Colts assistant director of college scouting Jamie Moore called him a late bloomer: “But if you go back and watch his career, he’s just continued to ascend. He’s gotten better each year, and I definitely think the best is yet to come for this young man.”
• Former Utah State QB Logan Bonner will try out with the Colts, according to Tom Pelissero.

Texans

• According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, the Texans’ decision to trade up to draft DE Will Anderson Jr. at No. 3 overall was born out of a desire to avoid making an agonizing decision between Anderson and QB C.J. Stroud at No. 2 overall. 
• Seifert says the Texans loved Anderson but also recognized they had a big need for a quarterback. They went back and forth on their decision, and up until later in the day on Thursday before the first round Seifert says the best guess from people inside the facility was that Anderson would be the pick at No. 2. 
• Then, Texans GM Nick Caserio decided he would just pay the extraordinary trade cost to secure both, per Seifert, moving back up with the Cardinals at No. 3. 
• Seifert notes Anderson was the Texans’ top-graded player and sparked the most excitement from the team, especially HC DeMeco Ryans who played at Alabama and has a lot of connections to the program still. 
• However, Seifert adds Caserio’s team-building plan had been disrupted by the absence and departure of former QB Deshaun Watson, and it would have been tough to justify passing on a potential legitimate solution for a third straight draft. 
• Despite speculation to the contrary, Seifert says there wasn’t additional pressure from owner Cal McNair to get a quarterback, with an NFC front office source who knows Caserio saying he didn’t need a push from the owner to understand how important it was to get a quarterback. 
• Caserio felt from asking around before the draft that in order to be assured of getting both Anderson and Stroud, they’d have to trade up to No. 3. They were concerned about the Titans trading up for Stroud if they took Anderson and about Arizona or Seattle taking Anderson if they waited. 
• The Texans finalized the deal while the Cardinals were on the clock. And while they overpaid by a fair amount, Seifert wrote that internally they justified it as the price to acquire a quarterback, as otherwise they’d have passed on Stroud for their top choice, Anderson. 

Titans

The Titans seemed comfortable drafting RB Tyjae Spears despite his injury history, which was a topic of discussion for HC Mike Vrabel after Day 2 of the draft.

“Played a lot of really productive snaps. Didn’t miss much time at all. Was a full participant throughout the week at the Senior Bowl,” Vrabel said, via TitansWire.com. “I think both of us are comfortable with where we’re at with Tyjae and what his availability will be going forward. Now, that may change, but [we] feel good about where it is right now.”

• Albert Breer reports the Titans are hiring former Falcons college scouting director Anthony Robinson as assistant general manager.