This week, the Last Word on Sports NFL department will be selecting starting lineups consisting of the best players from each division. In this article, the AFC South offense is the focus.
2016 AFC South All-Division Team: Offense
Quarterback: Andrew Luck
Andrew Luck has been a very consistent quarterback since coming into the league in 2012. In 2015, he missed 11 games due to injury and had a 74.9 passer rating and threw for 15 touchdowns. Look for the former Stanford quarterback to have a great comeback year in 2016 now that he’s healthy. Runners up at the position are Blake Bortles from the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Brock Osweiler from the Houston Texans. Bortles showed a lot of potential last season, throwing for 35 touchdowns with a passer rating of 88.2. Look for both of those numbers to increase with the additions Jacksonville made in the off-season. Osweiler comes in tied for second as well because he’s the highest paid quarterback in the division. While he showed flashes of greatness last season in the absence of the now retired Peyton Manning, he just didn’t play enough games to justify giving him the nod for best signal caller in the division. Only time will reveal if the quarterback rankings in this division will change at all.
Running Back: Lamar Miller
The only downside to Lamar Miller is that his number of carries decreased from 2014 to 2015. Miller carried the ball 22 fewer times in 2015 for 227 less yards. He also averaged 0.6 yards less per rush in 2015. The decrease can be attributed to the fact that Lamar was thrown to more often in 2015. He had over 100 more receiving yards in 2015 than he did the previous year, and it appears this is a role he hopes to keep with the Houston Texans, as he’s been seen working out with the receivers at OTA’s. The honorable mention goes to T.J. Yeldon since he had a good rookie season. Like with Bortles, look for Yeldon’s numbers to go up with all the additions the Jaguars made in the off-season.
Wide Receiver: DeAndre Hopkins
DeAndre Hopkins is easily the best receiver currently in the AFC South. Ever since coming into the league in 2013, the former Clemson Tiger has consistently gotten better. He had 1,521 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in 2015, nearly doubling his touchdown output from the previous year. Nuk’s receptions also almost doubled, meaning he was trusted more to make plays. Hopkins will see even more looks in 2016 with Osweiler’s arm strength as the Texans quarterback will depend on the young wideout to make big plays.
Wide Receiver: Allen Robinson
Allen Robinson hit his stride in 2015, almost tripling his receiving yards from 2014 with almost twice as many receptions. Robinson also caught 14 touchdowns, which was seven times more his 2014 touchdown production. Look for all of those numbers to increase as Blake Bortles also seems to have found his groove. A lot of people seem to favor the Jags coming out of the AFC South if they can keep their rhythm through out the whole season and limit their turnovers.
Wide Receiver: T.Y. Hilton
T.Y. Hilton has been consistent in his first four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. He has played 15 or more games in each of his four seasons, amassing 1,000+ receiving yards in each season, except his rookie year. Hilton has averaged at least 13 yards per reception and five touchdowns or more in those years as well. With a healthy Andrew Luck back under center, Hilton’s numbers should also rise in 2016.
Tight End: Delanie Walker
They say the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Delanie Walker was insane until he found himself with the Tennessee Titans and he became much more productive. Before he came to Tennessee, Walker never had more than receiving 400 yards in a season. Since signing with the Titas, the talented tight end hasn’t had a season with fewer than 571 receiving yards. Coming to the Titans was the best decision for Delanie, and he was red hot in 2015.
Tackle: Duane Brown
Duane Brown has been the foundation of the Texans offense since he was drafted by Houston in the 2008 draft. He has constantly been the veteran rookies look up to. Brown’s resume is padded with three Pro Bowl selections and one first team All-Pro selection.
Tackle: Anthony Castonzo
Anthony Castonzo is quickly emerging as one of the better tackles in football, and he has really shown his football IQ while with the Indianapolis Colts. Castonzo is young; he’s entering only his fifth year in the NFL, and has largely been seen as a “worth it” first-round draft pick for the Colts.
Center: Ben Jones
Ben Jones was a foundation piece on the front line for the Texans before departing for the Titans in the off-season. Jones, like Brown, was someone you could always count on to make sure the guy in front of him was taken care of. The Texans will see a familiar face when they play the Titans his year.
Guard: Jack Mewhort
Mewhort is another cornerstone of an offensive line you would be glad to have as part of your organization. A young player entering his third year in the league, Mewhort has consistently been a top performer against the run and the pass each year he’s played. Mewhort is exactly the type of player you want protecting Andrew Luck’s blindside.
Guard: Jeff Allen
Jeff Allen was touted as one of the best offensive line free agents in 2015. He decided to sign with Houston, presumably after seeing that he’d protect Osweiler’s blindside and help create holes for Lamar Miller. Allen was a solid off-season signing for Houston, as they needed someone strong and tall to line up next to Duane Brown.
Now that the offense has been discussed, check out the AFC South All-Division defense.
