OTAs and minicamp are over, and we are now in the dark period of the NFL calendar before training camp. The 2019 NFL Draft has come and gone, and now it’s time to get in to the picks. I dig in to the selections and analyze if the team made the right picks, addressed their needs, ignored their needs, reached for a player, etc. I get in to all that and much more in this series. Let’s continue with the NFC East.
Dallas Cowboys
Selections: Round 2: DT Trysten Hill; Round 3: G Connor McGovern; Round 4: RB Tony Pollard; Round 5: CB Michael Jackson, DE Joe Jackson; Round 6: S Donovan Wilson; Round 7: RB Mike Weber, DE Jalen Jelks
Traded first round pick for WR Amari Cooper.
Analysis: Without a first round pick, the Cowboys had to wait til day 2 to make a pick. Looking to build a powerful defense, Dallas selected defensive tackle Trysten Hill. The Cowboys have invested a lot of draft capital on the defense, using their top pick on that side of the ball three straight years. Hill joins what is looking like an elite defensive front with Demarcus Lawrence, Robert Quinn, and Taco Charlton coming off the edge and Tyrone Crawford and Antwaun Woods joining him on the interior.
The Cowboys have been known for a great offensive line, and it has taken some hits in recent years due to injury. Looking to build depth, they used their third round pick on Connor McGovern. Last year’s second rounder Connor Williams struggled at left guard before ultimately being replaced by veteran Xavier Su’a-Filo. McGovern likely compete for a backup spot with Williams or Su’a-Filo, and can provide some insurance at center in case Travis Frederick isn’t fully back from his autoimmune disease.
I’m interested to see how the Cowboys use Tony Pollard. He’s a gadget-type player who will likely be molded into a passing back and can contribute as a returner. There wasn’t any depth behind Zeke Elliott, so this pick was very much needed. Any time a team can get a player who can be inserted for a few plays a game to spell their running back, that team can be successful in preserving their stars and can be built for the long haul.
Conclusion: This was a pretty decent draft for the Cowboys. Their first round pick was essentially Amari Cooper, who enters a contract year and is looking to get paid, but he is a true No. 1 receiver. While I like the pick of Hill at 58, I think they should have went safety with the pick. They were reportedly high on Juan Thornhill, who went 63rd to the Chiefs. Also available at the time of the pick were Nasir Adderley (60th, Chargers) and Taylor Rapp (61st, Rams). Their secondary is young and was exposed last year, especially at safety. I have the Cowboys as the top landing spot for Eric Berry, who is still shockingly a free agent. I imagine he’ll sign somewhere around the start of training camp, same goes for Tre Boston.
The Cowboys didn’t get any day one starters in the draft, but greatly improved their depth. While these players could eventually find their way into the starting lineup, Dallas should feel good about the star players they have and have that insurance depth. I can still see them making some changes with some available free agents, but this roster is stacked top to bottom. I see them as the favorites in the NFC East.
New York Giants
Selections: Round 1: QB Daniel Jones, DT Dexter Lawrence, CB Deandre Baker; Round 3: DE Oshane Ximines; Round 4: CB Julian Love; Round 5: LB Ryan Connelly, WR Darius Slayton; Round 6: CB Corey Ballentine; Round 7: OT George Asafo-Adjei, DT Chris Slayton
Analysis: Holding the sixth overall pick, the Giants could’ve gone in a number of directions. Draft the best available defensive player, or begin planning for the future beyond Eli Manning. The went with the latter, and no not with Dwayne Haskins like everyone thought, but with Daniel Jones. Haskins would have been a flashier pick to Giants fans than Jones, as Jones was considered a more boring Eli Manning, which I didn’t think was possible. But, the Giants front office must truly believe Jones is the next face of the franchise. There is much to be seen with Jones, and when he will be given the reigns.
With the first-round pick acquired from the Browns in the Odell Beckham trade, the Giants drafted defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. After trading away Damon “Snacks” Harrison last season, the Giants had a void on the interior of the defensive line. Lawrence is a large human at 355 pounds, and will anchor a young d-line with Dalvin Tomlinson and B.J. Hill.
At the 30th overall pick, the Giants traded back into the first round with the Seahawks and selected the first cornerback of the draft, Deandre Baker. There was no clear cut top cornerback in the draft, but Baker was definitely in the mix with Byron Murphy, Rock Ya-Sin, and Greedy Williams. After shipping former top 10 pick Eli Apple to the Saints, and letting B.W. Webb walk in free agency, the Giants had a major need in the secondary, and Baker should be the Week 1 starter opposite Janoris Jenkins.
Third round pick Oshane Ximines will be in the mix at pass rush, and mid-late round corners Julian Love and Corey Ballentine will also compete to move up the depth chart. The word out of minicamp has been the eye-opening play of fifth-round receiver Darius Slayton, who will look to compete for third or fourth on the depth chart.
Conclusion: The Giants were in an interesting situation before free agency. Many believed that the Giants had a talented enough roster with Odell Beckham and Saquon Barkley to make a playoff push. However that hope was flushed down the drain when Beckham was traded to the Browns. That signaled that the Giants were in a rebuild and are looking to life after Eli Manning. GM Dave Gettleman was on the hot seat with Giants fans after that move, and he needed a strong draft to potentially win the fan base back. The Daniel Jones pick got a ton of backlash and anger from Giants fans as the clear fan favorite at quarterback was Dwayne Haskins. The Giants didn’t make a flashy pick, and that is something this franchise needed to make themselves relevant again.
Although the Giants took a pass rusher in Ximines in the third round, there were some unexpected opportunities in the first round that the Giants should’ve taken advantage of. Josh Allen fell out of the top 5, and was there for them at 6, and Montez Sweat was also there at 17. In a perfect world, Giants fans would’ve rather taken Allen at 6, and I believe Jones would’ve been there at 17, but Gettleman thought differently.
The future of this franchise is in the hands of Dave Gettleman and how these draft picks shake out is crucial. Definitely something to monitor this year and the years moving forward.
Philadelphia Eagles
Selections: Round 1: OT Andre Dillard; Round 2: RB Miles Sanders, WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside; Round 4: DE Shareef Miller; Round 5: QB Clayton Thorson
Analysis: The Eagles front office did it again, tip of the cap to GM Howie Roseman on an excellent draft. Originally sitting at No. 25, the Eagles moved up three spots with Baltimore to take their future left tackle Andre Dillard. Jason Peters is 37 and in the final year of his contract. Dillard will be molded into a starting left tackle and mentored by a future hall of famer. The move up three spots was brilliant as ahead of them was the Texans who had a clear need at tackle, and wound up taking Tytus Howard. Offensive tackle was on their mind, whether Houston wanted Dillard will remain unknown.
With two second round picks, the Eagles got Carson Wentz some fancy new offensive weapons, running back Miles Sanders and wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside. The Eagles don’t have a clear cut No. 1 running back on the roster, so there will be a battle for playing time to be the top back. Sanders will be given every opportunity to win the starting job, but will see stiff competition from Jordan Howard, Josh Adams, Wendell Smallwood, and Corey Clement. Arcega-Whiteside also sees himself in a similar situation with the receivers. Wentz’s top target is tight end Zach Ertz, but the Eagles like to spread the ball around. Alshon Jeffrey and Nelson Agholor are atop the depth chart with DeSean Jackson returning to Philly, so JJ A-W has some work to do to get snaps, but he has the talent and potential to become a reliable target in the Eagles spread offense.
Conclusion: Although they only made five selections, the Eagles had a top 5 draft in my eyes. They moved around the board and addressed positions of need and got great players for the value of the pick. A future franchise left tackle in Dillard who will learn from Jason Peters, a potential starting running back and another receiver to add to the depth chart. The other aspect I love about their draft is that while these selections can help now, they simultaneously built for the future. The plan for Dillard is obvious, but Sanders and Arcega-Whiteside are under contract for four years, and players like Jordan Howard and Nelson Agholor are free agents after this year, so great job by the front office on planning for the future.
Washington Redskins
Selections: Round 1: QB Dwayne Haskins, OLB Montez Sweat; Round 3: WR Terry McLaurin; Round 4: RB Bryce Love, G Wes Martin; Round 5: G Ross Pierschbacher, LB Cole Holcomb; Round 6: WR Kelvin Harmon; Round 7: CB Jimmy Moreland, DE Jordan Brailford
Analysis: I don’t really know who’s actually running the show in Washington, but whoever was in charge of the draft deserves a raise. This is the draft I’m sure Giants fans wished they had, but it went to a division rival. This was another one of my favorite drafts of 2019, and the Redskins really set themselves up for success after several mediocre seasons.
One of the biggest picks in the draft was Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Haskins was projected in several mock drafts to go to the Giants at No. 6, but with few teams between them needing a signal caller, he fell to the Redskins at No. 15. He will be given every opportunity to win the starting job over veteran trade acquisition Case Keenum with Colt McCoy recovering from a broken leg and Alex Smith’s career in jeopardy.
At the No. 26 pick, the Redskins traded back in to the first round with the Colts, giving up two second round picks, and took one of the better talents of the draft, pass rusher Montez Sweat. Sweat fell in the draft due to an apparent heart condition despite a record-setting combine and excellent college career at Mississippi State. He’ll pair with Pro Bowler Ryan Kerrigan on the edge and help make up for the loss of Preston Smith.
This was an offense-heavy draft for the Redskins with the selections of receivers Terry McLaurin and Kelvin Harmon and running back Bryce Love. Josh Doctson hasn’t been the first-round receiver Washington was hoping to get and Paul Richardson under-performed in his first year. The speedy McLaurin is very familiar catching passes from Haskins at Ohio State, and will bring a new element to a previously bland offense. Love had an injury-riddled 2018 season at Stanford after rushing for over 2,000 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2017. He has a chance to become the starting running back, but will see stiff competition from Adrian Peterson and Derrius Guice.
Conclusion: The Redskins had a great draft and deserve a lot of praise. They got their quarterback of the future, and possibly present, and an athletic freak coming off the edge. Some new weapons to spice up the offense with McLaurin and Harmon and a potential star running back in the fourth round. This is a great value for this type of player, and can spell trouble for Guice. I also like how the Redskins didn’t completely ignore the offensive line, however I think they should’ve addressed it earlier in the draft. They have had terrible injury luck on the offensive line in years past, and they need all the depth they need. Martin and Pierschbacher could become starters down the line, but for now, they’ll compete for spots on the depth chart.
Things are starting to look bright for Redskins fans, and this draft is the first step into what I believe will be a threat in the NFC East for years to come.
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