NFC East Draft Review

NFC East Draft Review

The Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles should fight it out for this division. They have the only settled QB situations as the Giants try to stay relevant while they hold on to Eli Manning (and Daniel Jones waits in the wings) and try to compete without Odell Beckham and the Redskins move into the Dwayne Haskins era. Neither the Cowboys or Eagles did much to immediately help themselves through the draft but I think the Eagles did a better job getting some future help.

Dallas Cowboys

(58) Trysten Hill DT
(90) Connor McGovern OL
(128) Tony Pollard RB
(158) Michael Jackson CB
(165) Joe Jackson DE
(213) Donovan Wilson S
(218) Mike Weber RB
(241) Jalen Jelks DE

Immediate Impact: None
The team traded their first-round pick for WR Amari Cooper which means they didn’t pick until round 2. Cooper already had a major impact as his arrival turned around the Cowboys season last year. They expect him to be a major contributor as their #1 WR. However, this draft class isn’t going to help much this season. Maybe a little depth here and there but not much more.

Best Value: RB Mike Weber
Weber lost his job at Ohio St. to JK Dobbins but he’s a still a talented back. He has an all-around game and he showed more athleticism in workouts than people thought he had. The Cowboys don’t have a solid all-around back behind starter Ezekiel Elliott and they really should have someone to take some of the pressure off of him. Weber can be that guy and while he’s not really a threat to break out he can hold is own and getting a solid backup RB in round 7 is solid value.

Sleeper: DE Joe Jackson
He’s a not an elite pass rusher which is why he fell to the fifth round. However, Jackson is a strong edge-setter against the run and considering the Cowboys want Demarcus Lawrence to rush the passer and Robert Quinn has never been a run-stuffer Jackson can actually carve out a niche on this defensive line. He’s not flashy, he just steady and steady is in short supply on the Cowboys defensive line.

Overall Analysis
For the Cowboys sake they better hope this draft is remembered for getting them Amari Cooper because the rest of it probably won’t be. Their first pick came in round 2 and they just couldn’t help themselves and they took a defensive lineman with some off-the-field issues, sound familiar? That hasn’t really worked out in the past for them so I’m skeptical. Also, Trysten Hill is a DT and I would have preferred they take a DE where there were still some good players left on the board; Chase Winovich, Jaylon Ferguson, Anthony Nelson, to name a few. OG Connor McGovern is a depth piece and the Cowboys have made a concerted effort to make themselves one of the best offensive lines in football. They have paid heavily for it and if they can’t afford La’el Collins when he hits free agency, they may move Connor Williams to RT and McGovern can take over at LG. Tony Pollard is a gadget player, a RB/WR hybrid, maybe he makes their running game less predictable (it’s all Elliott all the time). CB Michael Jackson and S Donovan Wilson are secondary players that might fill needs but they seem a bit raw to help any time soon. Jackson and Weber are my favorite picks from this group and they are backup players at best. DE Jalen Jelks might find a spot as a situational pass rusher and perhaps a special team’s guy.

New York Giants

(6) Daniel Jones QB
(17) Dexter Lawrence DT
(30) Deandre Baker CB
(95) Oshane Ximines OLB/DE
(108) Julian Love CB
(143) Ryan Connelly LB
(171) Darius Slayton WR
(180) Corey Ballentine CB
(232) George Asafo-Adjei OL
(245) Chris Slayton DL

Immediate Impact: DT Dexter Lawrence, CB Deandre Baker
Lawrence is a mammoth human being and while he may look like a nose tackle, and he can play there, he also has the movement skills to play end on their 3-man d-line. He will pair nicely up front with Dalvin Tomlinson and make life easier for the LBs in James Bettcher’s 3-4 defense. Baker isn’t the most athletic corner but I don’t care what the stop watches and tape measures say about this guy, he’s a top-notch cover corner. Measurements never liked Darrell Revis or Marcus Peters either and that never stopped those two from excelling.

Best Value: CB Julian Love
Clearly, the Giants don’t love their CB depth chart and that’s for good reason (they drafted 3 total). Love may not play a ton this year but he should contribute and I wouldn’t be shocked if he eventually ends up starting opposite Baker in couple of years. Love is another guy the measurements don’t love but he played at high level at Notre Dame against some very good competition. He won’t win many races but he doesn’t let his man get open very easily.

Sleeper: OT George Asafo-Adjei
The Giants offensive line has seen an influx of new bodies over the past two years with LT Nate Solder and LG Will Hernandez coming in last year and this off season they traded for RG Kevin Zeitler. They still need a better RT than Chad Wheeler. Asafo-Adjei isn’t a household name and he seems like a backup OT kind of guy but in New York that could change. He could give Wheeler a challenger at RT and either Wheeler rises to the occasion or Asafo-Adjei steals his job.

Overall Analysis
Overall, I really like this draft; Lawrence, Baker, Ximines, Love and Connelly are all good pickups. I hate that they took Jones at #6 overall. Daniel Jones might be an NFL starting caliber QB but you don’t take a “might be” at #6. I don’t care that the Manning connected coach David Cutcliffe had him at Duke, Jones was not valued that high. After Jones the Giants did well. Lawrence and Baker are fantastic picks that they got good value on. OLB Oshane Ximines is raw but he will be well coached by James Bettcher and used properly he will add great value as a pass rusher this season. Julian Love was a fantastic pick for sure. LB Ryan Connelly isn’t the pretty player on the field but he’s effective. I’m never a huge fan of taking a big, fast WR who can’t catch but if you’re going to take a chance you might as well do it in round 5 when you’ve already taken six picks, welcome aboard Darius Slayton. CB Corey Ballentine made news the week after the draft by getting shot several times, it looks like he will recover just fine but it may set him back in terms of contributing to the team. He’s a small school prospect who probably needed the full off-season program to get prepared. Good news if there’s no long-term effects from the shooting but it’s a wait-and-see sort of thing. Asafo-Adjei should at least help the depth on the offensive line. Chris Slayton is a defensive tackle they hope adds depth but he may be a practice squad sort of guy.

Philadelphia Eagles

(22) Andre Dillard OT
(53) Miles Sanders RB
(57) JJ Arcega-Whiteside WR
(138) Shareef Miller DE
(167) Clayton Thorson QB

Immediate Impact: OT Andre Dillard
Unfortunately for the Eagles I’m afraid this one might be the case. In a perfect world Jason Peters stays healthy all season and the Eagles get at least one more season out of their great LT. Peters is 37 years old and has had plenty of injury issues in the past few years so in steps Dillard. It is the reason they drafted him but they are hoping he doesn’t have to fill an immediate need.

Best Value: RB Miles Sanders
The Eagles didn’t get anyone at a great value and that’s not surprising given they only had five picks. Sanders is a talented back with quite a bit of tread left on his tires since he sat behind Saquon Barkley at Penn St. before becoming the starter last season. Sanders should be a solid addition to the Eagles backfield.

Sleeper: DE Shareef Miller
Chris Long, Vinny Curry and Brandon Graham are all pass rushers on the wrong side of 30. Miller may not be anything more than an occasional pass rusher this season but he has some skill and they could use him in the future. This isn’t a big class so there aren’t a lot of guys to choose from as a sleeper.

Overall Analysis
The Eagles made a move in the round one to move ahead of the Texans to take Andre Dillard, the Texans surely would have selected him at 23 if he had been there. Clearly, they understand that 37-year-old Jason Peters is on his way out and Dillard is a very capable replacement. Peters may give them a year but Dillard allows them to leave Lane Johnson on the right side where he has proven to be one of the best in the league. Miles Sanders is a very good pickup. The team traded for Jordan Howard but he’s a one-dimensional back. They have some other backs but no one really stands out. Sanders should be pretty good for them. If Dillard was there eventual Peters replacement JJ Arcega-Whiteside is there eventual Alshon Jeffrey replacement. Jeffrey is expensive and Arcega-Whiteside is the same type of tall, powerful WR who lacks great speed but can win jump balls. Miller has a chance down the road but this season it might be tough to find snaps at DE. Thorson could be the eventual backup to Carson Wentz, that’s his ceiling, but that’s a perfectly fine ceiling for a 5th round pick.

Washington Redskins

(15) Dwayne Haskins QB
(26) Montez Sweat OLB
(76) Terry McLaurin WR
(112) Bryce Love RB
(131) Wes Martin OL
(153) Ross Pierschbacher C/G
(173) Cole Holcomb LB
(206) Kelvin Harmon WR
(227) Jimmy Moreland CB
(252) Jordan Brailford OLB

Immediate Impact: QB Dwayne Haskins, OLB Montez Sweat
I like Haskins as a prospect and he went to a team that desperately needs a starter and a face of the franchise. Enter Haskins. He’s going to need a little seasoning after only starting for one year at Ohio St. but it was a pretty impressive year. He can handle Jay Gruden’s offense and he should do just fine. Sweat was a combine star who fell in the draft due to some health issues. If those issues don’t end up affecting him, he’s a steal at #26 overall and the Redskins need pass rushing help.

Best Value: Sweat
If he’s healthy he’s a top ten player in this draft. A pass rusher with his ability is worth his weight in gold and he should excel in the Washington’s defense.

Sleeper: WR Kelvin Harmon
While Terry McLaurin is getting some notice as a possible starter and he has a connection with Haskins having already played with him at Ohio St., it’s Harmon I’m interested to watch. He’s a powerfully built slot receiver who reminds me a bit of Anquan Boldin. He’s tough in a crowd and while McLaurin can be a deep speed guy the team may need a better power receiver if Josh Doctson doesn’t make more progress.

Overall Analysis
After early indications that the Redskins might do something crazy like trade up really far to take Haskins they instead sat still and he fell to them. They proceeded to have an excellent draft overall. They made a move up to get Sweat after he fell due to his heart issues but he’s a star at a major position of need so it made sense to get him. WR Terry McLaurin played with Haskins at Ohio St. so he comes with a built-in rapport and he adds a nice deep threat element to the offense. RB Bryce Love is a bit of a gamble given his injuries this last season but he could be great if he returns to his 2017 form. Interior offensive linemen Wes Martin and Ross Pierschbacher are middle round picks but for a team that plans to start Ereck Flowers at LG and Chase Rouliler at center these two could find there way into the lineup sooner rather than later. LB Cole Holcomb, CB Jimmy Moreland, and OLB Jordan Brailford are longshots for the roster but they will bring competition to the roster for camp. WR Kelvin Harmon will make the roster and contribute.