Who is the AFC South's biggest rising star? Our roundtable members give their picks.
Sarah Barshop, Houston Texans reporter: Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey, Jacksonville's first-round pick a year ago, was a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate, and he almost exclusively took on the opposing team's No. 1 wide receiver one-on-one. He finished the season as Pro Football Focus' 22nd-ranked cornerback. Last season, the Texans saw how good he can be when they faced the Jaguars for the second time in Week 15. Ramsey went up against DeAndre Hopkins, breaking up a fourth-down pass in the end zone and stopping the wideout short of a first down to force the Texans to kick a field goal. And Ramsey defended Hopkins well on a third-down pass that would have moved the chains. Now Ramsey will have help in the form of former Texans cornerback A.J. Bouye, which should take some pressure off the young corner and help him take another step forward in his second season.
Michael DiRocco, Jacksonville Jaguars reporter: Houston defensive end Jadeveon Clowney had a disappointing first two seasons with the Texans, but was finally healthy (for the most part) in 2017. That allowed him to have a breakout season with a career-high six sacks, 17 QB hits and 16 tackles for loss. It was the kind of season many expected the No. 1 overall pick to have as a rookie in 2014, but various injuries kept him from being effective. Now that he's healthy, Clowney should be even more of a force in 2017, especially with J.J. Watt returning after missing 13 games last season due to a back injury. Opponents will double-team Watt -- he is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and a four-time All-Pro -- so Clowney should end up with a double-digit sack total.
Mike Wells, Indianapolis Colts reporter: Running back Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville’s first-round pick, is already a talented player. For Jacksonville to make him the fourth overall pick, that had to be the case, and the Jaguars will likely rely on him a great deal during his rookie season. Quarterback Blake Bortles has done very little to prove he’s ready to be the Jaguars' franchise player. What better way to help ease Bortles’ workload and limit his mistakes than by feeding the ball to Fournette -- who rushed for 3,830 yards in just three seasons at LSU -- out of the backfield? The strategy worked for Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota after the Titans added DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry. The same goes for Dallas’ Dak Prescott with Ezekiel Elliott.