NFC East Draft Review
The Cowboys are always an interesting team when it comes to the draft and this year, they had a very good draft. They drafted quite a few players who were fantastic value picks. Jerry Jones was drafting from his yacht but clearly, he was still being heavily influenced by the smarter and less impulsive members of the front office and probably by Mike McCarthy. The Giants had quite a few picks and did a hell of job mixing immediate help with some truly talented developmental players. While most of the focus of Philly’s draft was on them taking a QB in the second round they did pretty well overall if you look beyond that. The Redskins took their one true blue-chip guy in Chase Young and they hope he can have a huge impact on their defense, and I think he will. The rest of the guys are developmental players and that’s okay since they are clearly in rebuilding mode.
Dallas Cowboys
(17) CeeDee Lamb WR Oklahoma
(51) Trevon Diggs CB Alabama
(82) Neville Gallimore DT Oklahoma
(123) Reggie Robinson II CB Tulsa
(146) Tyler Biadasz C/G Wisconsin
(179) Bradlee Anae DE Utah
(231) Ben DiNucci QB James Madison
Immediate Impact: WR CeeDee Lamb, CB Trevon Diggs
The Cowboys re-signed Amani Cooper and they still have Michael Gallup who had a breakout season last year but they don’t have much beyond them after losing Randall Cobb in free agency. Lamb was arguably the best WR in the draft and while the Cowboys didn’t expect him to be available at 17th overall they didn’t hesitate when he fell to them. He makes their offense that much more explosive. Diggs was a potential 1st round pick and they got him 51st overall. They need a top CB and Diggs has that type of potential. He gives them a bigger CB who can match up with the better WRs in the league. He should quickly ascent to the top of their CB depth chart.
Best Value: WR CeeDee Lamb, CB Trevon Diggs, DT Neville Gallimore
Like I said, Lamb was arguably the top WR in the draft and yet he was the third one off the board and the 17th overall pick, that’s good value. Diggs had a first-round grade by many teams and he fell all the way to 51st overall, again a great value pick for the Cowboys. DT Neville Gallimore was widely considered a potential first-round pick and for sure a second-round pick and yet he fell all the way to the 82nd pick. The Cowboys got amazing value with all three of these guys. Gallimore may not have the biggest impact this year with Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe set to start but he will make a fantastic rotational piece and he’s a future starter with both McCoy and Poe aging.
Sleeper: C Tyler Biadasz
The Cowboys unexpectedly lost Travis Frederick to retirement and for now they turn to Joe Looney at center. Looney filled in two years ago when Frederick missed the season but Looney is going to be 30 this season and he’s just a replacement level guy, he’s better suited to be a backup. Biadasz has some holes to his game and he needs some work but he’s been a multi-year starter at Wisconsin and that means something. It may not happen this year but sooner rather than later I expect Biadasz to replace Looney as the Cowboys starting center.
Overall Analysis
The Cowboys had one of the better drafts, perhaps Jerry Jones should draft from his yacht all the time. They lucked into CeeDee Lamb but they were smart enough to pass on filling a major need to take the best available player. Diggs was a potential choice for them in round one so getting him in the second was another lucky selection. Finally, having Gallimore still available in round three worked out for them too. Having a good draft usually takes a little luck and this year the Cowboys had lots of it. CB Reggie Robinson II was a bit of a reach but he’s a supreme athlete who brings great size to the CB spot and they can hope he develops over time. They hope Diggs develops as a #1 CB but the team has plenty of depth to give Robinson time to develop overall. Biadasz is a very solid prospect at center, a position they were not necessarily expecting to need to fill. DE Bradlee Anae was another guy many expected to go higher. He’s not a great athlete at DE but he’s a solid prospect who was very productive in college. Ben DiNucci is unlikely to make the roster and looks like a potential practice squad player.
New York Giants
(4) Andrew Thomas OT Georgia
(36) Xavier McKinney S Alabama
(99) Matt Peart OT UConn
(110) Darnay Holmes CB UCLA
(150) Shane Lemieux OG Oregon
(183) Cam Brown LB Penn St.
(218) Carter Coughlin LB Minnesota
(238) TJ Brunson LB South Carolina
(247) Chris Williamson CB Minnesota
(255) Tae Crowder LB Georgia
Immediate Impact: OT Andrew Thomas, S Xavier McKinney
Andrew Thomas is the best OT in this class right now. He may not have the ceiling of Mekhi Becton or Tristan Wirfs but on day one Thomas is a ready-made starter. He will likely step in at RT this season but eventually I see him replacing Nate Solder at LT, and by eventually, I mean in 2021. Thomas has Pro Bowl talent and he’ll be Daniel Jones’ favorite teammate. McKinney is a do-everything type of safety. In today’s NFL he’s exactly what you need because he can be a free safety and cover deep, he can come up and support in the run and he can actually excel in the nickel role. The team has Julian Love penciled in at FS but I think there’s a very good chance McKinney takes that job.
Best Value: S Xavier McKinney
He should have been a first-rounder and while he didn’t fall very far into the second round, he’s still a steal there. The fact is the Giants went secondary quite often in the draft taking three different prospects but only McKinney can fill a couple of roles.
Sleeper: CB Darnay Holmes
Like I said the Giants were looking to fill some holes in the secondary and as much as I like McKinney, he won’t be asked to do it alone. The team has Deandre Baker at one CB and signed big-money free agent James Bradberry to be the #1 outside guy. They still needed to upgrade the nickel spot and that happens to be Holmes best position. He’ll have to fight for the job but I think he can win it and excel at it.
Overall Analysis
Clearly, GM Dave Gettleman had some specific needs he was looking to fill in this draft. Andrew Thomas is a no-doubt starter from day one but he didn’t stop there on the offensive line. He drafted a developmental OT with great upside in Matt Peart. Peart is long and agile and really just needs a little physical and technical development to be a very good OT. Gettleman also drafted OG Shane Lemieux and while he isn’t a flashy guy, he can be a starter at some point in the near future. The team has Will Hernandez at LG but RG Kevin Zeitler is over 30 and center Spencer Pulley isn’t the best. Lemieux can spend some time working at center while waiting to potentially replace Zeitler. He’s already a good run blocker so if he ends up playing on the right side with Thomas Saquon Barkley will love running behind those guys. Gettleman got some serious secondary help with McKinney and Holmes and there is nothing wrong with taking a shot on Williamson in the seventh round. The team didn’t invest high picks at LB but they invested heavily in terms of numbers. Cam Brown, Carter Coughlin, TJ Brunson and Tae Crowder were all brought in during the 6th or 7th rounds meaning they were looking for depth. It’s hard to blame them considering how weak the position has been in the past but most of these guys are special team’s players at best.
Philadelphia Eagles
(21) Jalen Reagor WR TCU
(53) Jalen Hurts QB Oklahoma
(103) Davion Taylor LB Colorado
(127) K’Von Wallace S Clemson
(145) Jack Driscoll OL Auburn
(168) John Hightower WR Boise St.
(196) Shaun Bradley LB Temple
(200) Quez Watkins WR Southern Miss
(210) Prince Tega Wanogho OT Auburn
(233) Casey Toohill LB Stanford
Immediate Impact: WR Jalen Reagor
The Eagles went into the draft with a major need at WR and they took Reagor in the first round. He is a talented WR with a skill set they will find quite useful. He has speed to go deep and the type of change of direction skills that make him hard to cover. Considering the team lost Nelson Agholor in free agency, Alshon Jeffrey’s health is unreliable and Desean Jackson is aging Reagor should step in immediately.
Best Value: OT Prince Tega Wanogho
Wanogho is a kid with a lot of upside as a developmental OT. He probably could have gone in the fourth round instead of the sixth and no one would have batted an eyelash. He probably isn’t going to step in immediately but there have been rumblings that the Eagles have reservations about last year’s first round pick LT Andre Dillard stepping in as the starter for Jason Peters. Wanogho is a bit of a hedge against betting on Dillard.
Sleeper: K’Von Wallace
Wallace is a safety prospect who can come up and cover the slot, that makes him a valuable player in NFL today. He isn’t the biggest guy and he doesn’t have great length or deep speed but he knows how to cover and he does it well. Philly isn’t exactly teeming with great safeties; they have Rodney McLeod and they re-signed Jalen Mills with the intent of moving him from CB to safety. Wallace has a chance to end up a starter with the next few years.
Overall Analysis
The Eagles needed WR help desperately and they spent their first-round pick on one just like everyone expected and Jalen Reagor was a solid choice. They didn’t stop there. John Hightower and Quez Watkins are two later round picks that bring a whole lot of speed to the WR corps even if they aren’t high level prospects. You can’t judge the Eagles only on their picks though, they also made a trade during the draft to pick up Marquise Goodwin from the 49ers. Goodwin is a solid pickup who can be a reliable player. One thing all these guys have in common is they all bring a lot of speed to the team that is looking for playmakers. The most talked about pick they made was their second-round choice of QB Jalen Hurts. Hurts isn’t your typical QB prospect considering he’s known more for his running ability. He doesn’t have the type of strong throwing arm you need in the NFL although he is a pretty accurate intermediate passer. He’s an interesting draft pick because the Eagles already have a franchise QB in Carson Wentz who is still quite young and signed to a massive contract. How they fit Hurts into the equation should be quite interesting. The team needed help at LB and they took Davion Taylor in round three and Shaun Bradley in round six. They both bring speed to the position but they use that speed in different ways. Taylor is more the run and chase LB against the run and the coverage guy against the pass while Bradley is better attacking the line of scrimmage. They do fit one major theme of the Eagles draft, speed. They also got Casey Toohill out of Stanford but he’s more of a pass rusher off the edge. The team also took both Auburn OTs in the draft in Jack Driscoll and the afore mentioned Prince Tega Wanogho. Both are solid investments moving forward.
Washington Redskins
(2) Chase Young DE Ohio St.
(66) Antonio Gibson RB/WR Memphis
(108) Saahdiq Charles OT LSU
(142) Antonio Gandy-Golden WR Liberty
(156) Keith Ismael OG San Diego St.
(162) Khaleke Hudson LB Michigan
(216) Kamren Curl S Arkansas
(229) James Smith-Williams DE North Carolina St.
Immediate Impact: DE Chase Young
Well this is a no-brainer. Young has Julius Peppers type athleticism and he will be a monster as a pass rusher. He doesn’t have to be rushed because the team has both Montez Sweat and Ryan Kerrigan on the edge but Young is better than both of them. They hope he makes a dynamic pass rushing duo with Sweat for the next decade. Ron Rivera will make this kid a star.
Best Value: WR Antonio Gandy-Golden
A WR out of Liberty seems like a strange choice here but Gandy-Golden could have gone in the late second round and that would have been acceptable. He’s actually a great complement to the young receiving corps the team is building. Terry McLaurin was fantastic last season as the deep threat. Kelvin Harmon is a big-bodied receiver with some skills and Trey Quinn works well in the slot. Gandy-Golden is the big, power WR who is 6’4 and knows how to use his size and may end up an upgraded version of Harmon. No matter what he’s a great addition to a team that is looking to help out their young QB.
Sleeper: OT Saahdiq Charles
Charles has some red flags from his time at LSU. He’s definitely not a choir boy but he started at LT for a team that had a pretty impressive offensive line. If Ron Rivera and company can keep him on the straight and narrow Charles has plenty of talent to like. The Redskins finally traded LT Trent Williams and they really need someone better to step up. Charles might be their best choice. If they can tap into his potential, he could end up taking the LT job as early as right now.
Overall Analysis
The team got the best prospect in the draft with the #2 overall pick so that’s always a good start. Chase Young has All-Pro potential and is working with the right coaching staff to get him to that level. Antonio Gibson was a strange pick given he doesn’t have a defined position, is he a RB or a WR? And his best assumed position, RB, is pretty stacked with Adrian Peterson, Derrius Guice, Peyton Barber, and a couple of young guys Bryce Love and Josh Ferguson. The team also has Trey Quinn and Kelvin Harmon who can play the slot, Gibson’s next best position. Charles was worth a shot on a fourth-round pick. If he works out, he could be the starting LT, if he doesn’t, they only burned a fourth-round pick. Gandy-Golden is a steal and I think he’s a perfect complement that will make Terry McLaurin that much more dangerous. Keith Ismael is a solid addition as depth on the interior offensive line. LB Khaleke Hudson is a small LB with nominal speed and not great athleticism. If he makes the roster it will be because he shows he can really help on special teams and they don’t have a ton of depth at LB. Kamren Curl comes in as a safety but he might actually transition to LB, Hudson better hope he doesn’t because he might be a better prospect at LB than he is. Smith-Williams is a developmental DE who will likely end up on the practice squad.
The Hott Read 