NFC East Draft Review

Dallas Cowboys

• Leighton Vander Esch (19^th, 1^st)   LB   Boise St.
• Connor Williams (50^th, 2^nd)   OL   Texas
• Michael Gallup (81^st, 3^rd)   WR   Colorado St.
• Dorance Armstrong (116^th, 4^th)   DE   Kansas
• Dalton Schultz (137^th, 4^th)   TE   Stanford
• Mike White (171^st, 5^th)   QB   Western Kentucky
• Chris Covington (193^rd, 6^th)   LB   Indiana
• Cedrick Wilson (208^th, 6^th)   WR   Boise St.
• Bo Scarbrough (236^th, 7^th)   RB   Alabama

Immediate Impact:  LB Leighton Vander Esch, OL Connor Williams

The Cowboys lost jack-of-all-trades LB Anthony Hitchens and with Sean Lee’s age and health history they needed some new blood, Vander Esch is an exceptional athlete who is still developing at LB.  He’ll add a really good element to the defense.  Williams is a very good prospect and I think he’ll end up at RT and they will move La’el Collins back inside to LG.

Best Value:  Williams

If Williams hadn’t been injured last season he probably would have been a first round pick.  He won’t be asked to play LT since the Cowboys are covered there but he can play RT or inside at LG depending on what the team thinks is the best lineup.  He’s a good talent and getting him at 50^th overall is great value.

Sleeper:  DE Dorance Armstrong

Armstrong played out of position on a terrible Kansas team.  He lined up as a DE in a 3-4 but he’s best as a pass rushing DE in a 4-3.  The Cowboys need someone to help Demarcus Lawrence bring some pressure and Armstrong should start out as a really nice pass rushing specialist and he should only earn more and more playing time over the season.

Overall Analysis

Vander Esch and Williams should be starters right away, it’s possible Williams isn’t but I think he’ll win a job.  WR Michael Gallup could make some noise considering the top WRs on the team are Terrance Williams and Allen Hurns. Gallup brings a playmaking element they don’t really have.  I love the Armstrong pick.  TE Dalton Schultz, WR Cedrick Wilson and RB Bo Scarbrough could all add depth at those positions while none of them are likely to make a major difference.  QB Mike White adds some competition for the backup job and considering his only competition is Cooper Rush he very well could be Dak Prescott’s backup on opening week.  The team could have used a little help in the secondary and the retirement of Jason Witten hurts and Schultz isn’t replacing Witten’s production.

New York Giants

• Saquon Barkley (2^nd, 1^st)   RB   Penn St.
• Will Hernandez (34^th, 2^nd)   OG   UTEP
• Lorenzo Carter (66^th, 3^rd)   OLB   Georgia
• BJ Hill (69^th, 3^rd)   DT   North Carolina St.
• Kyle Lauletta (108^th, 4^th)   QB   Richmond
• RJ McIntosh (139^th, 5^th)   DT   Miami

Immediate Impact:  RB Saquon Barkley, OG Will Hernandez

Barkley is the best player in this draft.  Forget about the value of the RB position because he changes the game.  He will make Eli Manning better and improve the offense all by himself.  Hernandez is a mauler at OG and he will start immediately.  The team’s o-line has been a problem they are now trying to solve with the addition of LT Nate Solder and now Hernandez.

Best Value:  OLB Lorenzo Carter

The Giants are moving to more of a 3-4 defensive alignment under new defensive coordinator James Bettcher and that fits Carter just fine.  The team will be using converted DE Olivier Vernon at one OLB spot and likely Kareem Martin at the other.  Carter is a more natural fit at OLB so he should see plenty of playing time and I think he’ll beat out Martin eventually.

Sleeper:  QB Kyle Lauletta

After the top six QBs in this draft most people didn’t pay attention to rest of the group.  They should have because Lauletta has a chance to eventually be a starter in the NFL.  For now, he’ll battle Davis Webb to be Eli’s backup but eventually he’ll battle Webb to be Manning’s replacement.  He may lose those battles but it will be because Davis rises up and wins them not because he can’t play.

Overall Analysis

The Giants only made six picks but they made the most of them.  Barkley, Hernandez and Carter should all eventually start.  DT BJ Hill adds nice depth on the defensive line and he’s a pretty solid athlete for a guy who is 310 lbs.  They also took DT RJ McIntosh late and he fits the 3-4 line well.  Lauletta was a very smart pick and could pay dividends down the road, either he could be the guy or he could push Davis Webb to show he’s the guy down the road.  Or they both fail and the team has to pick Eli’s replacement in a later draft.

Philadelphia Eagles

• Dallas Goedert (49^th, 2^nd)   TE   South Dakota St.
• Avonte Maddox (125^th, 4^th)   CB   Pittsburgh
• Josh Sweat (130^th, 4^th)   DE   Florida St.
• Matt Pryor (206^th, 6^th)   OT   TCU
• Jordan Mailata (233^rd, 7^th)   OT  Rugby Player

Immediate Impact:  TE Dallas Goedert

The Super Bowl winning team rarely needs a rookie to make an impact and the Eagles don’t need one but Goedert should make one.  They lost Trey Burton in free agency and they like to run two-TE sets and now they have a guy who can run with Zach Ertz.  It didn’t hurt that they jumped in front of the Cowboys to steal Goedert in round 2.

Best Value:  Goedert

He was a potential 1^st round pick that fell to 49^th, he may have had more value to a team like the Cowboys but he’s plenty valuable in Philly.

Sleeper:  DE Josh Sweat

Sweat is a freakish athlete that played out of position for the Seminoles.  He has had injury issues and he never lived up to his high school recruiting hype but he has all the physical traits to be dominant.  He won’t get a lot of opportunities in Philly right away given the depth of their front seven but Michael Bennett, Chris Long and Brandon Graham are all over 30 so Sweat could eventually team with Derek Barnett for the Eagles.

Overall Analysis

A team with the depth like the Eagles have were drafting for the future.  Goedert helps now and for when they don’t want to pay Ertz in the future.  CB Avonte Maddox can be a nickel guy if they team decides to move on from Jalen Mills or Ronald Darby and moves Sidney Jones outside.  Sweat is a hedge against the aging DE unit while Pryor and Mailata are offensive line projects.  Mailata is really a project as he’s a rugby player that has never played football. Both guys have massive size and need plenty of work.

Washington Redskins

• Da’Ron Payne (13^th, 1^st)   DT   Alabama
• Derrius Guice (59^th, 2^nd)   RB   LSU
• Geron Christian (74^th, 3^rd)   OT   Louisville
• Troy Apke (109^th, 4^th)   S   Penn St.
• Tim Settle (163^rd, 5^th)   DT   Virginia Tech
• Shaun Dion Hamilton (197^th, 6^th)   LB   Alabama
• Greg Stroman (241^st, 7^th)   CB   Virginia Tech
• Trey Quinn (256^th, 7^th)   WR   SMU

Immediate Impact:  DT Da’Ron Payne, RB Derrius Guice

Payne is an absolute beast and he should fit in well on the Redskins 3-man defensive line.  He could play the nose but he’s likely to play end opposite last year’s 1^st round Alabama DE Jonathan Allen.  He’s a force against the run and he can collapse the pocket on passing downs.  Both Chris Thompson and Semaje Perine have useful skills at RB but neither one is the overall talent Guice is.  The knock on Guice is some vague off the field issues, if his head is on straight he will win the starting RB job in training camp, he’s that good.

Best Value:  Guice

He has first round talent and I’m not sure why he fell to the end of round two and he certainly shouldn’t have been the seventh RB off the board.

Sleeper:  DT Tim Settle

Settle could end up stealing the starting NT job very quickly.  He has the size for sure and he’s a good athlete.  Ziggy Hood is undersized and aging so at the very least he’ll cede some playing time to Settle pretty quickly.

Overall Analysis

This is a very good draft. Payne and Guice add immediate talent at positions of need and they were fantastic value.  OT Geron Christian adds good value given the fact Trent Williams and Morgan Moses both missed time with injury last season and the team didn’t have any depth.  S Troy Apke is more athlete than football player and they should have considered a CB instead at that spot.  Settle was a smart investment.  Shaun Dion Hamilton was a starter at Alabama before an injury and he adds nice depth the Redskins don’t have.  Washington isn’t stacked at CB or WR so both Stroman and Quinn have a shot to stick, at least a better shot than they might elsewhere.