Dallas Cowboys
- (11) Caleb Downs S Ohio St.
- (23) Malachi Lawrence Edge UCF
- (92) Jaishawn Barham LB Michigan
- (112) Drew Shelton OT Penn St.
- (114) Devin Moore CB Florida
- (137) LT Overton DL Alabama
- (218) Anthony Smith WR ECU
Immediate Impact: S Caleb Downs, Edge Malachi Lawrence
Downs is one of the three best prospects in the entire draft and the Cowboys moved up one spot to take him 11th overall. Dolphins’ fans should be upset they traded out of the pick and let Dallas take him. Downs will give the Cowboys’ new defensive coordinator Chrisitan Parker a very versatile chess piece to use on the backend of the defense. Edge rusher Malachi Lawrence isn’t ready to be a full-time player and he’s going to struggle against the run, but he may be thrown into the fire until Donovan Ezeiruaku returns from injury.
Best Value: Downs
It’s hard to say the guy who went 11th overall is a great value, but Downs has the chance to be one the five best safeties in the league. He is also going to greatly improve the Cowboys’ defense just with his presence. He’s going to be a leader for this defense for years to come.
Sleeper: DE LT Overton
Overton is a big end who can play on the line or could play on the edge. He’s probably best suited to be a DE on their three-man line but they may need him on the edge. With guys like Ezeiruaku and Lawrence as pass rushers, they can use Overton on early down to stop the run. He never became a great pass rusher at Alabama but he played all over the line and his versatility should come in handy.
Overall Analysis
The Cowboys went defense heavy in this draft and that was understandable. Downs is a true difference maker and there weren’t a lot of those guys in this draft. Lawrence was a guy they fell in love with at the combine and never really moved off. He has loads of potential but he’s still raw. LB Jaishawn Barham was mostly an edge player at Michigan but it sounds like the Cowboys are planning on playing him as a more traditional LB, a position of need for them.
They had three fourth-round picks and started by taking OT Drew Shelton. He’s a good athlete and has the requisite size and length to stick at OT. They could use some depth so it’s a solid pick. CB Devin Moore was a solid starter at Florida and has excellent size for a boundary corner, another position of need. He wasn’t the most consistent player but maybe Parker can get the best out of him. Overton can give them a ton of snaps at many different positions on the front seven. Finally, in round seven they took WR Anthony Smith. He’s a tall, fast WR with some skill and he might make free agent addition Marquez Valdes-Scantling expendable.
New York Giants
- (5) Arvell Reese Edge Ohio St.
- (10) Francis Mauigoa OL Miami
- (37) Colton Hood CB Tennessee
- (74) Malachi Fields WR Notre Dame
- (186) Bobby Jamison-Travis DL Auburn
- (192) JC Davis OT Illinois
- (193) Jack Kelly LB BYU
Immediate Impact: Edge Arvell Reese, OL Francis Mauigoa
The Giants weren’t expecting Reese to be available at five and they couldn’t pass him up even though they don’t really need an edge rusher. He’s going to play more of a traditional LB spot for now, but they could still use him as an edge rusher. If they find a trade for Kayvon Thibodeaux, plans may change. Mauigoa steps in immediately at RG and he should seriously improve the team’s run game to that side. He should eventually replace Jermaine Eluemunor at RT but for now, he’s a guard.
Best Value: CB Colton Hood
The Giants have Paulson Adebo and Greg Newsome II as their starting outside CBs, but Newsome is on a one-year deal. Hood has starter ability and that makes him good value at 37th overall. For now, he’s probably a good depth piece and likely the reason Deonte Banks doesn’t make the roster.
Sleeper: DT Bobby Jamison-Travis
While the pass rush group is outstanding, this team was terrible against the run. Then they traded Dexter Lawrence away and that’s not going to make them better. Bobby Jamison-Travis isn’t a game changer, but he does have one thing they’re missing at DT, size. Jamison-Travis is 6’3 328 lbs. and can at least credibly play NT. He isn’t going to change the run defense alone, but he should be a part of the solution.
Overall Analysis
While they only came away with two starters for next year, this draft class is very good. Reese was a gift they weren’t expecting, and he’ll make them even better rushing the passer. Mauigoa can improve the run game almost by himself. He’s an ass kicker in the run game and fills a major hole on the line. Hood is a great investment at a position where depth is always good to have.
WR Malachi Fields is a big-bodied receiver at 6’5 218 lbs. and gives the offense a different player than they have had in a while. He can be a big ball winner outside but can also do some other things. He’ll be a weapon in the red zone, and a guy Jaxson Dart can just throw it up to. Jamison-Travis fills a major need even if he wasn’t a highly rated prospect. JC Davis is an athletic OT who can give this team some depth at the position. Jack Kelly is a LB who gives them some depth and a special team’s guy.
Philadelphia Eagles
- (20) Makai Lemon WR USC
- (54) Eli Stowers TE Vanderbilt
- (68) Markel Bell OT Miami
- (178) Cole Payton QB North Dakota St.
- (207) Micah Morris OL Georgia
- (244) Cole Wisniewski S Texas Tech
- (251) Uar Bernard DL Nigeria
- (252) Keyshawn James-Newby Edge New Mexico
Immediate Impact: WR Makai Lemon, TE Eli Stowers
The Eagles are planning to trade WR AJ Brown in June when the cap hit is easier to deal with. They seemed to load up a bit here to make up for that loss. They moved up four spots to snake the Steelers and steal Makai Lemon at the last second. He’ll start in the slot and give the team a physical player inside. They also drafted Stowers and while he’s listed as a TE, he’s essentially a very large WR. He doesn’t block and new OC Sean Mannion will need to look for ways to use him all over the formation.
Best Value: OT Markel Bell
Considering how many OTs came off the board in round one, other tackles got pushed up the draft order a bit. Howie Roseman couldn’t help himself and he took the biggest OT in the draft. Bell is 6’9 345 lbs. and he’s a people mover. He’s also moves far better than a man his size should. RT Lane Johnson will be 36 and is coming off an injury so Bell may be needed sooner rather than later. He gives the team nice depth and a future starter.
Sleeper: S Cole Wisniewski
Wisniewski is a 6’4 220 lbs. safety who played most of his career at North Dakota St. and then spent last year at Texas Tech. The Eagles are not exactly stacked at safety so Wisniewski could find himself on the field if he can handle Vic Fangio’s defense.
Overall Analysis
The first five picks were on the offensive side of the ball. As much as I like Makai Lemon and Eli Stowers, they are both best used over the middle of the field and that isn’t a place QB Jalen Hurts is good at utilizing. OC Sean Mannion is going to have to get Hurts to change his game a bit to make the offense it’s most effective. They sandwiched Markel Bell and OG Micah Morris around QB Cole Payton. Morris is another giant offensive lineman except he’s a guard and gives them depth behind Landon Dickerson. Payton is a developmental QB who’s really raw in the passing game so not much should be expected of him.
The last three picks were on defense, and all were in the seventh round. Wisniewski has a chance to not only make the roster but fight for playing time, the other two, not so much. Uar Bernard is an international pathway program player who’s never played football. He’s 6’4 306 lbs. and looks like he was carved out of granite. If they could harness his physical tools like they did when they turned Jordan Malaita into a star, Bernard could be a superstar. That’s still a very unlikely outcome. Keyshawn James-Newby isn’t making this roster unless there are some injuries at edge, like 3-4 players going down.
Washington Commanders
- (7) Sonny Styles LB Ohio St.
- (71) Antonio Williams WR Clemson
- (147) Joshua Josephs Edge Tennessee
- (187) Kaytron Allen RB Penn St.
- (209) Matt Gulbin C Michigan St.
- (223) Athan Kaliakmanis QB Rutgers
Immediate Impact: LB Sonny Styles, WR Antonio Williams
Styles is the final piece to puzzle in the front seven for the new look Commanders defense. He will step into the MLB spot vacated by Bobby Wagner and give Dan Quinn an upgrade from what Wagner was giving them last season. Styles is the most athletic LB you’ll ever find and Quinn can use him in a verity of ways. Williams isn’t a big WR and he’s mostly a slot guy but he’s immediately the second-best receiver on the team behind Terry McLaurin. He’s going to make Jayden Daniels’ life much easier.
Best Value: RB Kaytron Allen
Allen was a sixth-round pick and while he’s not the most dynamic RB, he’s going to be a good one for the Commanders. He’s far better suited for early down work than any of the guys on their roster and he’ll be the short yardage back too. Allen isn’t going to run away from people, but he’ll run over quite a few of them.
Sleeper: C Matt Gulbin
Gulbin was a good center at Michigan St. and has more experience at the position than Nick Allegretti who’s penciled in as the starter right now. Gulbin may have been a late round pick, but he is going to give Allegretti a run for his money at center. He was a really solid choice this late in the draft for team that needs options at center.
Overall Analysis
Styles is a guy who can change this defense on his own. Being a MLB means he’ll be all over the field and making plays everywhere. The team has to hope WR Antonio Williams is doing the same on the offensive side of the ball. They don’t have a great WR corps and Williams is a great addition. Edge rusher Joshua Josephs is an undersized guy, but they won’t ask him to be much more than a situational pass rusher so that should suit him just fine.
RB Kaytron Allen and C Matt Gulbin might be two guys who really improve the running game for the Commanders. Allen is a bowling ball and will run over anyone in his way. Gulbin is good enough to play center, and he should at least get a chance to compete. Taking QB Athan Kaliakmanis in round seven was a little surprising considering who he went ahead of (Garrett Nussmeier) and some of the guys who didn’t get drafted. There were only 10 QBs drafted so it wasn’t a great group but guys like Luke Altmyer, Sawyer Robertson, and Haynes King didn’t get drafted so there were other options.
The Hott Read 