AFC Notes: Jaguars, Texans, Titans

Jaguars

• NBC Sports’ Peter King writes that he’s heard to “expect a surprise” out of the Jaguars with the No. 1 pick. 
• PFN’s Tony Pauline acknowledges there’s a persistent thought the Jaguars could take an offensive lineman, but the general consensus is they’re deciding between Georgia DE Travon Walker and Michigan DE Aidan Hutchinson.
• Pauline has heard Jaguars GM Trent Baalke wants Walker, while owner Shad Khan prefers Hutchinson.  
• In other news, Pauline mentions the Jaguars appear to be closing in on an extension for LT Cam Robinson, who was franchise tagged again this offseason. 
• Khan will be in Jacksonville Wednesday working with Baalke and HC Doug Pederson to firm up the draft board: “Yeah, I have an opinion. I do have an opinion. We are supposed to get together on Wednesday, and so I don’t have as firm a decision as I did maybe last year, but I do have it. I think we’ll have to really firm up the draft board, so we have clarity on all the permutations and combinations we’re gonna hit.“ (Albert Breer)
• Breer has also heard the Jaguars could be close to extending Robinson. 

Texans

Texans GM Nick Caserio said that he’s evaluating players projected to be selected at the latter rounds of the draft just as much as he’s evaluating the top-end talent in the 2022 NFL draft.

“The most important is as much depth and understanding of the entire draft at every position as possible, even down to the players that you don’t think are going to get drafted,” Caserio said, via Texans Wire. “I say we spend as much time on that group probably as anything including the top of the draft.”

Caserio notes that historically there are a lot of quality players that fall into the second and third days of the draft and it’s just as important to identify those players as it is to hit on the team’s first-round picks.

“I was actually looking at some of the better players league wide, some of the better players at their positions,” Caserio explained. “So, you look at guys like [Travis] Kelce, you look at guys like [George] Kittle — one guy was a third-round pick, another guy was a fifth-round pick. Austin Ekeler, I’d say, one of the better backs in the league wasn’t drafted. Marques Colston — this is going back and date myself — but New Orleans, all-time leading receiver. He wasn’t drafted. Everybody wants to talk about [Tom] Brady, but forget Brady for a minute. Joe Thuney was a third-round pick. I’d say the reality — Stefon Diggs, there’s another guy that’s a fifth-round pick. So, I’d say our job is to understand the depth of the draft top to bottom.”

Caserio alluded to finding value amongst specific positions relative to where they’re currently being drafted and the allotment of players in a specific draft class.

“Some positions, just by supply and demand, are going to have more players at those positions than others. So, it doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of good players; it just means certain positions — receiver — maybe they have more players, but just because they have more players doesn’t mean that they’re all created equal. So, okay, that player, that position versus another position, okay, maybe if we pick this player here but there’s supply at this position, a little bit less, so, more inclined to take this position now or vice versa. So, I would say try to not pigeonhole yourselves.”

• PFN’s Tony Pauline has heard the Texans could potentially take LSU CB Derek Stingley with the No. 3 pick. 

Titans

• NFL Media’s Cameron Wolfe mentions Arkansas WR Treylon Burks and Western Michigan WR Skyy Moore are two players to keep an eye on for the Titans at the end of the first round, as they want to keep adding playmakers on offense.
• Wolfe has also heard the Titans like Northern Iowa OT Trevor Penning, Texas A&M OL Kenyon Green and Boston College OL Zion Johnson. 
• North Carolina OL Josh Ezeudu had a top 30 visit with the Titans. (Tony Pauline)