2025 All-AFC South roster: Young talent Travis Hunter and JC Latham join proven veterans like Jonathan Taylor and CJ Stroud

The AFC South has been regarded as one of the weakest divisions in the NFL for a while now. The Houston Texans are coming off back-to-back divisional crowns and are the favorites entering the season. However, all four teams on paper seem to be truly in consideration to walk away as division champions in 2025. […]

Destin Adams, Easton Freeze
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Texans QB CJ Stroud, Titans OT JC Latham, Jaguars WR/CB Travis Hunter, Colts RB Jonathan Taylor
A to Z Sports

The AFC South has been regarded as one of the weakest divisions in the NFL for a while now. The Houston Texans are coming off back-to-back divisional crowns and are the favorites entering the season. However, all four teams on paper seem to be truly in consideration to walk away as division champions in 2025.

While the division doesn’t have a lot of fans around the league, there are still a ton of very talented players. A to Z Sports’ Indianapolis Colts beat writer Destin Adams and Tennessee Titans beat writer Easton Freeze used their knowledge of the division to compile an All-AFC South roster ahead of the 2025 season. So let’s take a look at what they came up with.

2025 All-AFC South Offense

QB: CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
To be frank, QB was one of the easiest positions for us to pick. Even after a lackluster sophomore season, CJ Stroud is the clear choice for the best QB in the AFC South. The only other choice that can be considered at this point is Trevor Lawrence, and Stroud hands down outplayed him in 2024. There are still concerns heading into the 2025 season that the Texans’ offensive line, which struggled mightily in 2024, could be even worse in 2025, which could hinder Stroud yet again from taking that next leap in his NFL career. But it feels like something would have to go very wrong in Houston for Stroud not to finish this upcoming season, still believed to be the best QB in the AFC South.

RB: Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
Due to him having to miss time with injuries over the previous two years, too many people around the NFL seemed to forget how incredible Jonathan Taylor is. So he decided to remind them in 2024 by putting up a stellar season, rushing for 1,431 yards and 11 touchdowns despite missing three games. He finished fourth in rushing and third in yards per game (102.2), only trailing Saquon Barkley and Derick Henry. Taylor proved he is the best RB in the AFC South as well as one of the best in the NFL.

RB: Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans
It may come as a surprise to some to see Pollard here instead of Joe Mixon. But here’s the deal: Tony Pollard was just about the only consistently positive thing about the Titans’ offense last year. He got a lot of his production despite his OL’s help. And the tiebreaker to me right now is health. Mixon’s availability is completely up in the air right now, and Pollard has been the model of availability since his broken leg in Dallas.

WR: Nico Collins, Houston Texans
Injuries derailed Nico Collins from reaching his totals from 2023, but he came pretty dang close despite only appearing in 12 games. He recorded 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024, falling 291 yards and one touchdown shy of his career highs. Collins is the top WR in the Texans offense and has developed a fantastic relationship with Stroud. He has a real argument to be included in any top 10 WR rankings in the league, and despite some other talented WRs in the division, he is still the best in the AFC South.

WR: Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
Brian Thomas Jr. may have been the fourth wide receiver off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he and his LSU teammate Malik Nabers competed for the best rookie debut in a loaded class of rookie wideouts. BTJ was phenomenal for the Jaguars in what was an otherwise deeply uninspiring season. He finished the year with the fourth most receiving yards of any receiver in the league at 1,282, behind only JaMarr Chase, Justin Jefferson, and Amon-Ra St. Brown. It was the 8th most receiving yards by a rookie receiver in NFL history, and he only played 10 games with Trevor Lawrence. For the rest of the season, he was catching targets from backup quarterbacks. Imagine how much better he could be going forward with a healthy starting quarterback and now Travis Hunter taking pressure off of him.

WR: Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans
2024 started slowly for Ridley, averaging two receptions and 30.5 yds/gm, with just one touchdown. Despite getting 14 targets in Weeks 3-5, he only caught two passes for 14 yards. The chemistry with Will Levis and his comfortability with the Callahan system were clear issues. But he figured it out, finishing with over 1,000 yards on the year anyway. After a difficult first six weeks of acclimation, he was on pace for a 1,300-yard season with Levis and Mason Rudolph at the helm. If Cam Ward is the upgrade he appears to be, and Ridley is as comfortable in this system now as he claims to be, this is shaping up to be a career year for the veteran. His burst and route running haven’t waned as he’s approached 30 years old.

TE: Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts
It feels strange for a Colts TE to be ranked the best in the division since the team’s TE room has been so bare over the last few years. And it’s even crazier that Tyler Warren lands this honor before ever playing a snap in the NFL. It’s a testament to the lack of talent at the position for the three others, tense, but also to how high expectations are for Warren as he begins his NFL career. We shall see if he can prove us right here.

LT: Benhard Raimann, Indianapolis Colts
If it isn’t the new $100 million man himself, Bernhard Raimann. This was another easy one for us, with the other options at LT in the division not putting up much of a fight for this spot now that the Texans have traded Laremy Tunsil away. Raimann has continued to improve each year and has made himself one of the top young tackles in the league today.

LG: Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis Colts
The single best offensive lineman in the AFC South is Quenton Nelson. Whenever you take a guard in the top 10, they better make it worth it. And I think it’s safe to say Nelson has done his part. Since being drafted, he’s been to the Pro Bowl in all seven seasons and has been named an All-Pro three times. His dominance has made him one of the top linemen in the NFL, and his spot on this list was set in stone. 

C: Lloyd Cushenberry, Tennessee Titans
Cushenberry’s first year with the Titans ended unceremoniously when he tore his Achilles in Week 9. He’s on pace to be back in the fold for Week 1 this year, though, almost 10 months to the day since the injury. His inclusion in this group of All-AFC South players has as much to do with his talent level as the lack of talent across the rest of the division at center. Despite playing mediocre in the first half of 2024 (by his own admission) and coming off an injury, he’s still the guy who earned a 4yr/$50,000,000 contract one free agency ago. And there’s a reason why legendary OL coach Bill Callahan feels better about going back to him in Week 1 after a summer of rest than he does leaning on Corey Levin, a perfectly serviceable backup who has been the starter throughout camp. Cushenberry’s raw talent is a high bar on its own.

RG: Kevin Zeitler, Tennessee Titans
Kevin Zeitler is the unkillable man (knock on wood). He’s three games away from his 200th NFL start, entering his 14th season on his 6th team. He was the sixth-best guard in the league in 2024 during his one-year stint in Detroit, despite being 35 years old. He’s as proven a veteran as you’ll find, and by all accounts, he’s still got it.

RT: JC Latham, Tennessee Titans
JC Latham made a lot of changes after an up-and-down rookie season. He lost 30+ pounds over the summer. And he moved to right tackle due to the signing of LT Dan Moore, putting him back at the position he played in college. He showed flashes of pure dominance as a rookie, especially when it comes to his impenetrable anchor. With a renewed sense of athleticism on the side of the line he feels more comfortable with, the former seventh overall draft pick is poised to go from good to great in 2025.

2025 All-AFC South Defense

Edge: Danielle Hunter, Houston Texans
Welcome to the All-AFC South Edge room, otherwise known as the Houston Texans Edge room. These guys rock, the first of which is Danielle Hunter. He was PFF’s 12th-ranked EDGE in 2024, tallying 12 sacks and 47 hurries.

Edge: Will Anderson Jr., Houston Texans
Part II of this fearsome Houston duo is Will Anderson Jr. He was PFF’s 9th-ranked EDGE last year, even better than Hunter. He tallied 16 sacks and 34 pressures in 2024 and appears to still be ascending. I’m not sure what else to say about these two… they just rock. Houston clearly has the two best pass rushers in the league.

DT: Deforest Buckner, Indianapolis Colts
Luckily, there were two DT spots for this article because I’m not sure Easton and I would have ever come to an agreement on who was the top DT in the division between DeForest Buckner and Jeffery Simmons. Both at their best are in the conversation for the top DT in football I personally lean Buckner due to the consistency he has where as with Simmons it feels like his play fluctuates a little more.

DT: Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee Titans
Jeffery Simmons has had a couple of down seasons in a row, and yet he’s still regarded as a clear top-5 defensive tackle around the NFL. That’s about all you need to know about his inclusion on this list. He’s remodeled his physical build this season to be swifter and more athletic as an interior rusher. He sounds as motivated as ever to return to his 2021-2022 form as a top-tier game wrecker in the league. The fact of the matter is that when teams face the Titans, Simmons’ name is still circled and highlighted at the top of the whiteboard in the offensive meeting room.

LB: Zaire Franklin, Indianapolis Colts
Contrary to the online discourse, I think last season was Zaire Franklin’s best. He led the league in total tackles and was able to make multiple big plays for the Colts’ defense by setting new career highs with two interceptions and five forced fumbles. He is the clear top LB in the AFC South, but a look around the division and you’ll quickly notice there wasn’t any player that had an argument to be ahead of him. 

LB: Devin Lloyd, Jacksonville Jaguars
Lloyd played nearly 900 snaps of defense last year and was PFF’s highest-graded linebacker in the division by a significant margin. What he lacks in coverage ability, he makes up for with downhill violence in the run defense and pass rush phases of the game. He’s a late-bloomer who has really come into his own heading into a contract year.

S: CJ Gardner Johnson, Houston Texans
Gardner-Johnson is joining his fourth team in Houston, but there’s a reason why he’s been in demand for years now: he’s a very good ball player. A pivotal part of the Eagles’ run to a championship last season, Houston paid him handsomely in free agency to turn a strength into an even bigger strength on defense. He tallied six interceptions, 12 passes defended, and one forced fumble in 2024, even returning one turnover for a touchdown.

S: Cam Bynum, Indianapolis Colts
One of the Colts’ big splash free agency signings this offseason was safety Camryn Bynum, better known as Cam Bynum. After improving year after year with the Minnesota Vikings, Bynum hit free agency, hoping to see some big numbers thrown his way. And I’d say he is probably happy with how things turned out. The Colts now add a player who had eight interceptions over the past four years and is coming off a year where he had a career high of three. Bynum is always around the ball and also set a new career high with 10 pass deflections. He now joins the Colts, ready to man their FS position, and I already have a solid case to be the best in the division at the spot.

CB: Derek Stingley Jr, Houston Texans
Derek Stingley was a generational CB talent coming out, and after a rookie year of some ups and downs, he’s established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the entire league. He completely reset the CB market this summer with a 3yr/$90,000,000 contract. His 2024 season earned him a first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl nod.

CB: Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars
The mystery around Travis Hunter’s role as a rookie still remains ahead of the preseason. His natural skill as a CB is evident when watching his film at Colorado, though. This final CB spot came down to Hunter, Charvarius Ward of the Colts, and L’Jarius Sneed of the Titans. Both Ward and Sneed had their fair share of struggles last season, so Easton and I agreed that it seemed fair to make them prove they can bounce back and give the nod to Hunter and his high upside at the position. And with the fact that he will play both ways, he definitely belongs on the All-AFC South team.

Slot CB: Kenny Moore II, Indianapolis Colts
Kenny Moore II has been one of the most underappreciated stars in the NFL for multiple years now. He has been one of the best slot CBs in football and has that same expectation placed on him ahead of this season. His situation this year, though, might be the best of his career in terms of total CB depth around him, as well as the addition of safety Camryn Bynum in free agency. Looking at new DC Lou Anarumo’s use of Mile Hilton with the Cincinnati Bengals should also excite people about how creative he will be with using Moore’s complete skill set. 

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