Training camps are on the cusp of opening across the league, with a new regular season just off on the horizon, which makes this the perfect time to take stock of some of the top talent scattered across the NFL.

The AFC South is one of the more fascinating divisions in the league, with four former first-round picks at quarterback who are surrounded by some of the most exciting young players at their positions.

Each Tuesday through mid-July and camps kicking off, we’ll be breaking down the five best players in each division, in addition to the one non-quarterback that a league executive would pick first to build his roster around.

Today, we dive into the AFC South, plus the one player who an NFC East scout says would be his first choice from the division to build his roster around…

Who’d have thought that a rising offensive mind with a history of maximizing his quarterbacks would bring out the best in former No. 1 overall pick, Trevor Lawrence?

Last season, Lawrence took major strides towards silencing his detractors, living up to the expectations that heralded him as a generational quarterback prospect, coming out of Clemson, and in setting the floor for what should be expected from a Jacksonville offense suddenly loaded with young, ascending talent.

In Liam Coen’s first season on the headset, and in the lab working with Lawrence, the 26-year-old completed 60.9 percent of his passes for 4,007 yards with a career-high 29 touchdown passes to just 12 interceptions.

The 2025 campaign was easily Lawrence’s most efficient to date, and his 81.5 passing grade from Pro Football Focus ranked seventh among all quarterbacks as he helped usher in Travis Hunter’s field-stretching ability while Parker Washington emerged as a reliable home run hitter, with Lawrence making 29 big-time throws (fourth-most in the NFL), and only two other quarterbacks posting a higher Average Depth of Target than his 9.5 yards per attempt.

With another offseason to gain familiarity with Coen’s system, and timing with his top pass catchers, Lawrence could be primed to elevate his and the Jaguars’ ceiling in the season ahead, perhaps even significantly.

Few players, and even fewer non-quarterbacks, are more significantly tied to their team’s success than Jonathan Taylor is to the Colts’ offense.

Taylor might only have surpassed 100 rushing yards in a game five times last season, but the Colts were unbeaten in those contests, including a 244-yard blitzkrieg over the Falcons in an overtime thriller overseas.

While his production dipped over the final stretch of the season, after defenses were more apt to crowd the box following Daniel Jones’ ruptured Achilles, Taylor’s 1,585 rushing yards ranked third in the league.

A violent downhill runner, with a next gear that few running backs have the ability to shift to in the second level, Pro Football Focus points out that Taylor forced 67 missed tackles while averaging a stellar 3.5 yards after contact, showcasing his ability to make defenders pay for failing to drag him down.

Jones’ return, and a continued emphasis on pushing the ball vertically to the likes of Alec Pierce and Tyler Warren could create softer fronts for Taylor to expose, giving him the chance to once again serve as the engine that powers everything the Colts do best on offense.

The Houston Texans’ path to a potential Super Bowl is paved by fielding the premier pair of edge rushers in the sport, with playmakers who attack the football at all three levels.

Danielle Hunter continues to cement his status as one of the most disruptive edge rushers in the NFL, and is coming off one of his most prolific seasons to date, while racing Will Anderson to the quarterback on every snap.

Hunter’s unique blend of speed, power, elite bend and acceleration make him a nightmare for opposing offensive tackles, as illustrated by his 15 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, and 22 quarterback hits.

Only Brian Burns and Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett posted more sacks than Hunter, but there’s an argument to be made that his impact outshone both.

DeMeco Ryans and the Texans sent Hunter at the quarterback 500 times last season, and Houston was rewarded with 83 pressures, ranking fifth in the NFL. It’s no wonder this is one of the league’s most feared defenses.

Tyler Warren didn’t just introduce himself to the NFL as a rising young star, as a rookie last season, he kicked the door down as one of his team’s most explosive weapons and arguably wedged his way alongside the premier tight ends in the league.

Warren’s 817 receiving yards ranked fifth among tight ends, and he rapidly developed into an explosive weapon after the catch, averaging 6.4 yards after the catch, as he didn’t just gain Jones’ confidence but became fundamental to the Colts’ success in the passing game.

At 6-foot-6 and 261 pounds, Warren isn’t just a difficult assignment for linebackers in coverage, but also has the frame to win a jump-ball battle, which makes it easy to see why he became one of Jones’ favorite targets. It isn’t just about winning battles for the football, though; PFF points out that Warren produced 487 yards after the catch.

A red-zone weapon, vertical threat, and playmaker with the ball in his hands in the open field, Warren is the complete package as a tight end, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see his role even expand from here in 2026, and beyond.

Will Anderson’s traits are those of a pass rusher created in a lab, and his production consistently not only ranks among the best in the league but creates opportunities for just about every other member of the Texans’ defense.

Anderson’s career-high 12 sacks and second consecutive double-digit sack season only tell part of the story.

The former No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Anderson’s 93 pressures last season ranked third in the league, his 70 hurries paced all pass rushers, and only three pass rushers posted more than his four forced fumbles.

Meanwhile, the chaos Anderson creates manifests itself in ways that don’t always show up in the stat sheet, including ESPN crediting him with 43 forced incompletions.

At just 24 years of age, Anderson may merely be entering his prime. Given the scheme and the talent around him in Houston, that isn’t just terrifying for opposing offenses but could telegraph a not-so-distant future where he’s the standard bearer at one of the most vitally important positions in football.