Welcome to the NFC East draft analysis. In case you’ve missed the previous installments of our draft analysis series, be sure to catch up and check out all the action.
Dallas Cowboys
Round Two
26th pick (58th overall) – DT Trysten Hill, UCF
After not having a selection in the first round, the Cowboys kick things off with a major reach. At best Hill was a late third rounder, but he easily could have been a day three pick. Hill does have a ton of upside and Dallas has the best defensive line coach in the league. Still, if the Cowboys wanted Hill this badly that’s fine, but especially considering they didn’t have a pick in the first round they should have moved down first.
Round Three
26th pick (90th overall) – OG Connor McGovern, Penn State
McGovern is a good value here that fills both an immediate and long-term need. McGovern has positional versatility on the interior of the offensive line. He can step in immediately at left guard, or play center depending on the health of Travis Frederick.
Round Four
26th pick (128th overall) – RB Tony Pollard, Memphis
I just don’t get this pick. Dallas is certainly not without other needs, and without a first rounder this feels like a luxury pick. In addition, this is a major reach as Pollard should have gone at least two rounds later.
Round Five
20th pick (158th overall) – CB Michael Jackson, Miami
Jackson fits the range here and is a good sized corner with straight line speed and explosive combine numbers. However, he lacks agility and really regressed in coverage in 2018 from 2017.
27th pick (165th overall) – Edge Joe Jackson, Miami
Dallas doubles down on Jackson defenders from Miami. This is a great value for Joe Jackson as he easily could have sneaked into round three. Jackson was a very productive pass rusher the past three seasons, racking up 29 sacks and 80 pressures since 2016. Jackson has great size for the position and could prove to be a major steal.
Round Six
40th pick (213th overall) – S Donovan Wilson, Texans A&M
Round Seven
4th pick (218th overall) – RB Mike Weber, Ohio State
This is why you don’t take Pollard in the fourth round. Weber isn’t a guarantee to make the roster at all, but he flashed much more promise earlier in his career at Ohio State. He is also an interchangeable prospect with Pollard, but lasted another 90 picks.
27th pick (241st overall) – Edge Jalen Jelks, Oregon
This is actually a really good value for Jelks as he could have found his way into the late fifth, or the sixth round.
Overall
Similar to prior write ups regarding Odell Beckham Jr. and Frank Clark, we have to incorporate the Amari Cooper trade into this draft grade. From an asset management standpoint, the Cowboys came out on the wrong side of the deal. Dallas shipped off a cost controlled talent for a receiver on the verge of a huge pay raise, and eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2020.
That being said, Cooper was exceptional during his time as a Cowboy last year. He brought a new element to this offense, and quickly became a favorite of Dak Prescott.
The draft picks themselves are up and down. Dallas reached in the second round, got a good value in the third, threw a fourth rounder in the trash, and then finished up with five strong day three selections.
Grade: B
New York Giants
Round One
6th pick (6th overall) – QB Daniel Jones, Duke
In all my years watching the draft, I don’t know that I’ve ever had a more demonstrable reaction to a pick being announced, and the Jaguars took Tyson Alualu 10th overall in 2010.
I watched the draft with two Giants fans, and when Tampa passed on Josh Allen, I turned to one and said “can even Gettleman fuck this up?” and his answer was an emphatic “yes.” I really didn’t think there was any universe in which the Giants would bypass Allen. I actually underestimated how inept Gettleman is. Shame on me.
This is an abomination. In my final mock I said “Gettleman is a moron, so Giants fans should pre-order their Jones jerseys now,” and that was me predicting the selection at 17. Gettleman *actually* fell for the rumor mill saying Washington was going to trade up to get Jones. When everyone in the world says “don’t believe anything you hear, it’s lying season,” only Gettleman can believe something so fucking unrealistic.
Don’t worry, a guy at Gettleman’s bagel shop told him “great pick,” so obviously Gettleman nailed this.
Gettleman literally drafted a quarterback because he looks like Eli, played for Eli’s coach, attended the Manning passing camp, and had a nice three series at the fucking Senior Bowl. FINDING THE NEXT ELI SHOULDN’T BE THE GOAL DAVE!
And the part of this that no one is talking about is how this fucking moron said Jones might sit for three years. THE WHOLE POINT of having a quarterback on a rookie scale deal is that he is making $20 million below market value. As a result, you can LOAD UP the rest of the roster around him. The Eagles and Rams, aka the past two NFC Super Bowl participants, have done this. The Cowboys finally figured out how good they have it with Dak’s cheap-o deal. The Seahawks were almost a mini dynasty because they had Russell Wilson, among others, making six figures.
But nooooooooooo, Gettleman wants to keep paying Eli Manning $20 something million a year so Jones can sit around and the rest of the roster can be equally as trash as Dave is.
Gettleman is the worst general manager in sports history, debate over, and Billy King happened.
17th pick (17th overall) – DT Dexter Lawrence, Clemson
AND ANOTHER THING. Imagine passing on Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, or Josh Allen because you don’t have to listen to “keyboard warriors,” or whatever petty insult you hurled due to the fact your fragile ego feels threatened by the mere fact there might be people out there that might know more than you, in order to draft a running back second overall, still finish 24th in rushing yards per game because you’re the only one in the room that doesn’t understand the quarterback and offensive line matter more than the running back, and the circle back to taking Daniel FUCKING Jones 6th overall in the following draft.
GOD
HERE’S ANOTHER THOUGHT! Don’t spend all offseason going on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on all offseason long about how the Eli window is another 3-4 years and the Giants are right there ready for contention and that’s why you’re eschewing all these quarterbacks in favor of a fucking running back second overall but then trade away Snacks Harrison, the actual best run defender in football, and Eli Apple in a mid-season fire sale after hitting the abort button seven weeks into the season the moment it dawns on you your team is fucking trash, when by the way you were the only one that didn’t know that before the season started, and THEN you won’t have to over draft a run stuffing nose tackle in the middle of the first round that offers some pass rushing juice but not enough to warrant this pick.
Gettleman has no plan, no strategy, no brain cells. The Giants are fucked.
30th pick (30th overall) – CB Deandre Baker, Georgia
Even when Gettleman gets a good player he does it all wrong. The Giants traded up from 37 to creep back into the first round and select Baker. That trade saw New York send the 37th, 132nd, and 142nd picks to Seattle for 30. The Seahawks profited 5.9 points worth of draft capital, the equivalent of the 90th pick of the draft.
Baker is good. He was in a tier with Byron Murphy and Greedy Williams as the three best corners in the draft. The Giants got a good player but overpaid to move up for him, and at this point no corners had come off the board and New York was selecting seven picks later. This trade seems like it was unnecessary.
At least Baker plays one of the four premium positions.
Round Three
31st pick (95th overall) – Edge Oshane Ximines, Old Dominion
This pick was acquired in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade beacuse oh yea Gettleman can’t even get the Browns better third round pick when he trades away Odell Beckham Jr.
Ximines is worth this pick and can contribute as a pass rusher in nickel situations during his rookie year. That’s the nicest thing I can say about a Gettleman draft pick.
Round Four
4th pick (108th overall) – CB Julian Love, Notre Dame
Ok I can say nicer. This is an outstanding pick. Love had absolutely no business falling this far in the draft, and the Giants took advantage. New York also had no corners behind Jenkins and decided to double down at the position, which typically ends up being a wise maneuver.
Round Five
5th pick (143rd overall) – LB Ryan Connelly, Wisconsin
33rd pick (171st overall) – WR Darius Slayton, Auburn
Round Six
7th pick (180th overall) – CB Corey Ballentine, Washburn
Round Seven
18th pick (232nd overall) – OG George Asafo-Adjei, Kentucky
31st pick (245th overall) – DT Chris Slayton, Syracuse
I’m sorry, I just don’t care about the Giants’ draft anymore. It’s not like Gettleman cared about it, so why should I?
I will take this opportunity, however, to point out that not only is Mike Francesa a babbling ignoramus, but a terrible person.
Overall
#FireGettleman
Grade: Whitney Houston on Crack if she had no talent
Philadelphia Eagles
Round One
22nd pick (22nd overall) – OT Andre Dillard, Washington
In a small trade up, Philadelphia sent picks 25, 127, and 197 to Baltimore to climb three spots to 22. The trade saw the Ravens profit 4 points worth of draft capital, the equivalent of the 122nd pick. I typically don’t like trades up, but there are a few exceptions.
I can make an exception for this. While giving up the extra picks is not nothing, and the draft is a crapshoot, I like the aggressive move for Dillard. Dillard should not have fallen this far as he is simply too good as a pass blocker to hang around until the early 20’s. Additionally, the Eagles moved directly in front of the Texans to make sure they got their guy. I love sniping moves like that, if only for the entertainment value.
This is also a good forward thinking maneuver. Dillard’s services easily may not be needed in 2019, but Jason Peters figures to no longer be on the roster in 2020, especially given this selection. Philadelphia needed someone in the pipeline for when they moved on.
Round Two
21st pick (53rd overall) – RB Miles Sanders, Penn State
This pick makes no sense. The Eagles made Sanders the second running back off the board, and while I disagree with that, like, ok, fine. However, this is a luxury selection from a team that shouldn’t be making such a move. There are real concerns at cornerback, and there were plenty of talented options for Philadelphia at this juncture. If the Eagles drafted Sanders simply to be a pass catching back they could have waited at least two more rounds for such a role player.
25th pick (57th overall) – WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Stanford
Love, love, love this pick. I had Arcega-Whiteside as the third best receiver in this class, and the Eagles get him as the 6th receiver off the board. I also believed he would have been fair value in the late first, so getting him at 57 is great value.
Arcega-Whiteside is a contested catch specialist, and while receivers that transition from college to the NFL with only that trick in their arsenal do not fare fell, Arcega-Whiteside is an efficient receiver, good vertical threat, and red zone beast.
Round Four
36th pick (138th overall) – Edge Shareef Miller, Penn State
A bit of a reach here. Miller did generate a fair amount of pressures his past two seasons at Penn State. He’s a pretty good athlete for his size and should be able to contribute situational pass rush impact.
Round Five
29th pick (167th overall) – QB Clayton Thorson, Northwestern
A decent reach, but similar to the Chargers, taking the developmental quarterback you really want in the fifth round of a bad quarterback class isn’t the worst offense in the world.
Overall
The Eagles draft is lackluster. They only made five selections, so that doesn’t help, but they would have had two more if not for their trade up. However, this is one instance where I do like the trade up. The Sanders selection is just weird and a major negative, while landing Arcega-Whiteside was a steal. The Eagles then finished up with two reaches on day three.
Grade: C+
Washington
Round One
15th pick (15th overall) – QB Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State
Imagine spreading a fake rumor that you liked a trash quarterback in the hopes the village idiot in your division overdrafts said trash quarterback so that the actual top 10 worthy quarterback you want falls to you at 15.
Ok well that happened in real life with Washington and New York. Only Gettleman is dumb enough to believe there was a real chance Washington was going to trade up for Daniel Jones, and Haskins just fell right down the board and into Dan Snyder’s lap. For the first time ever, Dan Snyder won the draft chess match.
There isn’t too much to say here about this pick. Many thought Haskins was a top 10 lock, and he is (at least very close to) the consensus second best quarterback in this draft. Washington didn’t even have to move up to secure him, playing it cool while Denver traded out of the 10th pick and Miami passed at 13.
I will say this, I do not agree with the tactical move of spending the 15th pick on Haskins when Josh Rosen could have been had for a second. I would have rather sent the second to Arizona and used this pick to select someone else. Still, this was good fortune for Washington.
26th pick (26th overall) – Edge Montez Sweat, Mississippi State
I like Sweat as a prospect more than most, but I really dislike the trade that Washington made to get to 26. Indianapolis moved off 26 in exchange for the 46th pick and a 2020 second rounder. Given the state of Washington’s roster, that 2020 second rounder is likely to be a top 40 pick. If it is the 40th pick, the Colts will have profited 7.4 points worth of draft capital, the equivalent of the 72nd pick.
That is just a really big overpay. There is a rare amount of circumstances where I would consolidate two second rounders into a single late first, and this isn’t one of them. If you’re going to make a move like this it better be at one of the four premium positions, which it is, but still. I wish Washington had stayed where they were and taken someone to help Haskins.
Round Three
12th pick (76th overall) – WR Terry McLaurin, Ohio State
Here’s the help for Haskins. This is good value as McLaurin is the Ohio State receiver that should have come off the board in the second round. Prior to the draft, Washington had the worst receiver depth chart in the league, so they figured to address the position in the first two days of the draft.
Round Four
10th pick (112th overall) – RB Bryce Love, Stanford
I love this pick, all puns intended. Love would have been a first round pick had he declared for the 2018 draft, and Washington is getting him here in the fourth. Of course, the ACL is a concern, and if he lost any juice or explosion he won’t be the same. The gamble is worthwhile at this point of the draft.
29th pick (131st overall) – OG Wes Martin, Indiana
This is quite the reach as Martin may not have even had a draftable grade. At least Washington is investing in Haskins’ protection?
Round Five
15th pick (153rd overall) – OG Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama
This is a reach by about a round, but again the team is investing in Haskins’ protection.
35th pick (173rd overall) – LB Cole Holcomb, North Carolina
Round Six
33rd pick (206th overall) – WR Kelvin Harmon, N.C. State
This is a major steal. I was never the biggest fan of Harmon, but he should have went at least two rounds earlier. Harmon is a big bodied receiver with great production the past two years, but his ability to separate at the NFL level is a serious concern.
Round Seven
13th pick (227th overall) – CB Jimmy Moreland, James Madison
This is another fantastic value. Moreland should have come off the board by the end of the fourth round. He is a physical corner that dominated his level of competition as he left school with 18 career interceptions.
39th pick (253rd overall) – Edge Jordan Brailford, Oklahoma State
Overall
This draft had it’s ups and downs but overall the haul looks good. I would have rather traded for Rosen and not traded up for Sweat, but Haskins and Sweat are good prospects. Washington added potential steals in rounds three, four, six, and seven, with some reaches at offensive line mixed in.
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