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Top: Pat Angerer (left), Kareem Jackson.

Bottom: Derrick Morgan (left), Tyson Alualu.

Sizing up the AFC South each year is pretty easy. It goes something like this – The Indianapolis Colts will win 12 games and lock up the division title with a couple games left, and one other team will play well enough to contend for a wild card. Oh, and the Houston Texans will be somewhere around the .500 mark. Are there any rookies in this division who could have a big enough impact to shake up the mix in this division? Probably not, but I do think there’s a chance both Tennessee, based on their strong finish last year, and the Texans, who have steadily progressed each year, could give the Colts a run for their money. On the other hand, the Colts have a way of finding players in the draft every year that help their cause also. They drafted 2 players who will help shore up the defense, which is strong when healthy but has struggled with injuries the last couple of seasons. Linebacker Pat Angerer should be a starting linebacker at some point this year, and at the very least will help the Colts on special teams. Top pick Jerry Hughes will see plenty of playing time spelling both Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis on the defensive line, and both Freeney and Mathis have had injuries in the recent past, so Hughes could be a bigger factor. Tennessee lost Kyle Vanden Bosch to free agency, leaving a large hole in their defensive line, and drafted Derrick Morgan to try and fill that hole. Morgan is expected to be a big factor on defense, once he overcomes the nagging injuries that have slowed his progress in training camp. The passing game dominates NFL play so much these days that almost every team brings in rookie reinforcements for their secondary every season. The Titans are no exception to the rule, with rookie Alterraun Verner battling for a starting job at cornerback. The same situation exists in Houston, where Kareem Jackson will likely step into the lineup at cornerback replacing departed free agent Dunta Robinson. RB Ben Tate was drafted by the Texans to help their running game, but suffered a season-ending injury. The Jacksonville Jaguars have a history of finding stud run-stuffing defensive linemen like Marcus Stroud, John Henderson and recently Terrence Knighton, and drafted what they think will be an instant starter at DT in Tyson Alualu. The pick opened some eyes on draft day since it seemed to come out of left field, but you can’t argue with the Jags’ track record of finding players to man their defensive line.