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With one division down, let us examine the next set of teams the 49ers will face this upcoming season as these opponents gear up for the draft. While the AFC South has some very competitive teams, it does not feature a club that will be looking to round out it's roster in a serious manner via the draft. Each team has some pretty gaping holes.
Even though the Houston Texans have turned into one of the premier teams in the AFC, they could still use some work on both sides of the ball. The Texans let go of S Glover Quin, who had a good season, replacing him with Ed Reed. While I think the switch is a step in the wrong direction, Reed brings a lot of experience with him. They also brought in two players in FB Greg Jones and P Shane Lechler who have likely passed their prime. Look for the Texans to expand their WR depth. They don't have a true No. 2 receiver, and the production of Andre Johnson has suffered as a result. I would also like to see the Texans shore up the right side of their O-line.
The Indianapolis Colts are an up-and-coming team that has some major holes to fill. They made a ton of signings this offseason (S LaRon Landry, G Donald Thomas, DE Ricky Jean Francois, CB Greg Toler, OT Gosder Cherilus, NT Aubrayo Franklin and others), but I wasn't super impressed with any one signing made by Indy. I expect the Colts to bring a lot of young players in to compete with some of these vets who might be getting paid more than they are worth.
The Jacksonville Jaguars were pretty quiet this offseason, bringing in DTs Roy Miller and Sen'Derrick Marks as their big signings. Even though they have a high pick, I still wonder how they can utilize this draft effectively to fix all their problems. DE might be their biggest area of need (Dion Jordan anyone?), but they really won't improve until they figure out the QB situation.
The Tennessee Titans acquired some nice talent this offseason in G Andy Levitre, TE Delanie Walker, S George Wilson and S Bernard Pollard. This influx of players should help with some key areas of need. I would still like to see them upgrade at CB and DE (and RB?). Really, though, the Titans are like the Jags; Until they figure out the QB situation, they won't be getting much better.