NFL Draft 2019: NFC East Draft Recap

Here are my NFC East grades for 2019 NFL Draft for the following teams: Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, New York Giants, and Dallas Cowboys.

The Philadelphia Eagles made a few additions to replace some of their losses as they look to bring the power run game back to their offense. The Washington Redskins had to find a future at quarterback and did just that in the NFL Draft while improving their offensive talent as a whole. The New York Giants are in rebuild mode (with an aging quarterback) as they lost a few players on defense but got their franchise quarterback, whether it was early or not, and got some younger pieces for their defense. The Dallas Cowboys buffed up the trenches first as their pass rush should be a lot better in 2019 and their offensive line will still be the focal point of their offense. With that said, here is what I thought of each team’s draft in the NFC East.

Philadelphia Eagles– 5 Selections: Best Pick- Miles Sanders, Worst Pick- Shareef Miller

Cavemen Rating:

This draft was mostly looking forward to the future while getting some depth and/or potential contributors for this season. With Nick Foles (Jaguars) gone in free agency, the Philadelphia Eagles needed a backup quarterback and while Clayton Thorson was not the best quarterback available at the time, in my opinion, they did address a need in case Carson Wentz does not finish the season again.

The Eagles traded for Jordan Howard and while he should be the starter, his contract is on the last year so getting someone who could be a feature back in the future like Miles Sanders was a good move. The running back core with Corey Clement, Josh Adams, Boston Scott, Donnell Pumphrey, and Wendell Smallwood all can complement each other and bring something different to the table as they have much-needed depth at running back.

Getting a future left tackle once Jason Peters retires is a position that you would want to take care of sooner rather than later. Andre Dillard is renowned as the best pass-protecting left tackles in the 2019 NFL draft class and could be a very good pro if he develops in run blocking, as he did not do much of that in college. Dillard could play guard his rookie year, as they do have a hole in left guard, but it would be better if he sits or plays as a swing tackle to start off. Protecting Wentz and getting more weapons should be the primary goal on offense and they fixed that issue early on.

Getting another weapon that is lethal in the red zone like J.J. Arcega- Whiteside was another good pick as Nelson Agholor is on the last year of his deal and it does not seem they will resign him. Philadelphia also brought back Desean Jackson in free agency as the combination of all their weapons gives Wentz what he needs to have his best season in 2019.

The Shareef Miller pick was not one I thought was a good value pick nor did I think that was a position they should address with the depth they have. Miller could be a depth or role player but with Derek Barnett and Brandon Graham starting and defensive ends like Vinny Curry, Josh Sweat, Joe Ostman, and Daeshon Hall; I am not sure how much he contributes in year one even with Chris Long retired.

The Eagles brought back Timmy Jernigan and signed Malik Jackson while trading for Hassan Ridgeway but I would think they need interior pass rush over an edge player more since Jernigan has to stay healthy. They had a linebacker hole with Mychal Kendricks (Cardinals) gone in free agency but they signed Zach Brown after free agency so that issue is not as pressing now. The secondary was banged up last year so with all of them back and not bringing in anyone else was the right decision to make for the most part.

Washington Redskins– 10 Selections: Best Pick- Dwayne Haskins, Worst Pick- Wes Martin

Cavemen Rating:

The Washington Redskins might have the best overall draft in the NFL, addressing almost all their needs with great value. Waiting for Haskins to fall to their lap was a risky move but one that paid off as they got their franchise quarterback and then doubling back by trading back up to get Sweat addresses their pass rush issues. They also traded for Case Keenum as he could be a short term starter or backup as Haskins will compete with him and Colt McCoy with Alex Smith out due to injury.

Washington also upgraded their receiving core in a big way by getting Haskins’ former teammate in Terry McLaurin, a speedy route runner, and getting a huge value pick in Kelvin Harmon, a big bodied target. They both can be big-time contributors with Josh Doctson not staying healthy and if Paul Richardson can also stay healthy, that is a decent trio for their offense.

Washington is going with an offense that has some weapons and with the plethora of running backs, will be beneficial if Haskins does start as a rookie. Adding Bryce Love gives them another talented running back that fell due to injury. The running back group with Derrius Guice healthy, Adrian Peterson, Chris Thompson, and Samaje Perine emphasizes a run-heavy offense. Drafting Ross Pierschbacher and Wes Martin also helps out their interior offensive line as I liked the Pierschbacher picked but am unsure about Martin with other offensive linemen available.

They let Zach Brown (Eagles) go in free agency so they drafted a linebacker in Cole Holcomb, which I am not a fan of as there were better linebackers on the board. Jimmy Moreland is a nice value pick to add to their secondary as he is a ball hawk who would fit well as a nickel cornerback.

Ryan Kerrigan and Montez Sweat give them a nice duo as they replaced Preston Smith (Packers), who left in free agency. Jordan Brailford gives them even more depth as an edge rusher as he will compete as a backup with Ryan Anderson for the most part.

New York Giants– 10 Selections: 2 Stars; Best Pick- Julian Love, Worst Pick- Daniel Jones

Cavemen Rating:

Everyone will rip the Giants in taking their guy as the future to replace Eli Manning but I am not sure what his ceiling is over other quarterbacks and you could debate that they could take an edge rusher like Josh Allen first and address quarterback later. Also passing on Haskins is questionable but if they liked Jones better so be it. But I felt like they were trying to find someone who is similar to Eli rather than taking the better quarterback prospect.

Getting Dexter Lawrence to replace Damon Harrison so early in the first round is a curious decision, as I thought their interior defensive line was the best part of their rebuilding defense. But Dave Gettleman loves building through the trenches so I am not surprised for taking a nose tackle in round one. Chris Slayton will most likely play 3-4 defensive end or be a one-gap penetrator as a pass rusher as he could be a role player among their run stoppers.

I like the approach of addressing the secondary at the cornerback position multiple times with Deandre Baker, Julian Love, and Corey Ballentine. They got great value with Baker and Love. I would have thought they would have addressed the safety position to pair with Jabrill Peppers as Antoine Bethea is an aging veteran. I would not be surprised if they would try to move one of their young cornerbacks to play safety if Janoris Jenkins is still on the roster with the amount of depth they have. Sam Beal, Grant Haley, and Tony Lippett, among their rookie cornerbacks; with Jenkins, will make up a relatively young cornerback group.

Oshane Ximines will give them another pass rusher that can potentially start over Kareem Martin and Markus Golden opposite Lorenzo Carter as it gives them a young pass-rushing duo. Ryan Connelly will give them depth at inside linebacker but there may have been better options at that selection. I thought they could have used an upgrade at inside linebacker and addressed it earlier in the draft.

Darius Slayton gives them depth at receiver with Golden Tate and Sterling Sheperd as the starting receivers but they could have addressed wide receiver earlier. George Asafo-Adjei was also a confusing pick as there were better options at tackle and I thought they would address right tackle earlier with Mike Remmers as an average starter at best.

Dallas Cowboys– 8 Selections: Best Pick- Connor McGovern, Worst Pick- Donovan Wilson

Cavemen Rating:

The Dallas Cowboys traded their first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft for Amari Cooper as he will be a key part in making their offense more balanced. They also brought in a few receivers and already have some young talent there so it was not a necessity in the draft. Tony Pollard can play some receiver as a weapon out of the backfield.

Dallas added a few weapons behind Elliott in the backfield in Mike Weber and Pollard (who is also a receiver). The Cowboys also got an insurance backup offensive lineman as he could play center and guard with Connor McGovern. This will help continuity if one of their offensive linemen misses any time as their run game will look to be the focal point on offense.

The Cowboys spent the rest of their picks on defense but some of the picks I thought they could have gotten better value or were just decent picks. Trysten Hill will give them interior defensive line depth as they have tried to add talent there but there were some other players they could have gotten at other positions with less risk.

Jalen Jelks give them a pass-rushing linebacker on certain downs but I am not sure about his fit other than a role player. Joe Jackson and Michael Jackson were pretty good value picks at defensive end and cornerback. They have tried to get better pass rushers to complement Demarcus Lawrence and have gotten some veterans prior.

I disagree with the Donovan Wilson pick as they should have addressed safety much earlier in the 2019 NFL Draft. Tight end is also a position the Cowboys could use talent even though Jason Witten came out of retirement but for insurance, they could have added another tight end in the draft.

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