NFC East Draft Grades

The NFL Draft has come and gone, and if you were able to ignore ESPN highlighting every depressing moment of each players life, it was fun! Now comes the best part, draft grades. This is where every analyst and fan shows either their great admiration or great disdain for each team’s general manager and coach. Now, I am just as guilty as anybody else when it comes to immediate negativity towards draft players, but I always feel better after sleeping on it for a night or two. It is important to remember that just because your team did not take who you wanted them to take, that does not mean they had a bad draft! I highly recommend going on YouTube and finding the highlights of all your team’s picks. Find out what gems you are going to be watching for the next few years! I am breaking this up by division, as I have a lot to say for each team. Let's start by diving in to the NFC East.

Dallas Cowboys: Biggest Needs- DL, CB, OL, WR, TE

1st Round: WR CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma

2nd Round: CB Trevon Diggs, Alabama

3rd Round: DL Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma

4th Round: CB Reggie Robinson II, Tulsa

4th Round: C Tyler Biadasz

5th Round: DE Bradlee Anae, Utah

7th Round: QB Ben DiNucci, James Madison

Notable Undrafted: DT Garrett Marino, UAB; RB Darius Anderson, TCU; EDGE Ladarius Hamilton, North Texas; LB Francis Bernard, Utah; TE Charlie Taumoepeau, Portland State; TE Sean McKeon, Michigan

It was reported before the draft started that owner/GM Jerry Jones told his scouts “not to bother” him during the draft. Maybe this strategy should become a tradition. The Cowboys have zero holes in this draft class. Absolutely none. Pick 17 was a weird spot to be in, and I think if CJ Henderson was still there they would have jumped on him, but instead one of the draft’s elite receivers somehow slipped to them, and after losing Randall Cobb, Jones leaped on him. The Cowboys now have Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb as wideouts for Dak Prescott. Scary. It seemed like the whole draft the Cowboys picked guys who for whatever reason slipped past all 31 other teams. Trevon Diggs is an aggressive cornerback whose style of play is perfect for this defense, Neville Gallimore can learn from the great Gerald McCoy at the defensive tackle position, and Reggie Robinson provides even more depth at cornerback.

I find it extremely baffling that Bradlee Anae fell this hard, as he is a fantastic player from Utah, a school that has surprisingly pumped out great players on that side of the ball. Tyler Biadasz has health concerns but can immediately contend to replace center Travis Frederick, and Ben DiNucci was their guy at quarterback the whole way through. They probably could have gotten him as an undrafted free agent, but they did not want to risk it. It will be interesting to see if he is simply a backup or a late round gem who may one day replace Dak Prescott in Dallas.

Speaking of their undrafted free agent class, it may be one of the best in the league. Garrett Marino provides more depth on the defensive line, Charlie Taumoepeau is one of the best receiving tight ends in the class, Sean McKeon is one the best blocking tight ends in the class, and Francis Bernard offers great linebacking depth. Phenomenal class by the Cowboys.

The Grade: A

New York Giants: Biggest Needs- OT, Safety, TE, WR, CB

1st Round: OT Andrew Thomas, Georgia

2nd Round: S Xavier McKinney, Alabama

3rd Round: OT Matt Peart, UConn

4th Round: CB Darnay Holmes, UCLA

5th Round: G Shane Lemieux, Oregon

6th Round: LB Cam Brown, Penn State

7th Round: LB Carter Coughlin, Minnesota

7th Round: LB TJ Brunson, South Carolina

7th Round: CB Chris Williamson, Minnesota

7th Round: LB Tae Crowder, Georgia

Notable Undrafted: WR Binjimen Victor, Ohio State; WR Derrick Dillon, LSU; WR Austin Mack, Ohio State

Wow. Honestly, this is an absolute haul. Many did not like the pick of Andrew Thomas originally, and I agree he was a little bit of a reach, but the biggest difference between he, Jedrick Wills, Tristan Wirfs, and Mekhi Becton? Thomas is the only true left tackle of the bunch. They will use him on the right side to begin his career, but make no mistake, Thomas will be protecting the blind side in New York for years to come once Solder retires. Simmons would have been nice, but he was not as necessary in my opinion. Then, the Giants get the steal of the draft in McKinney. What was the rest of the league doing? McKinney is a 1st round talent by a longshot and matching him with Jabrill Peppers will do wonders. The Giants can now feel comfortable leaving McKinney in coverage while Jabrill Peppers plays up near the line of scrimmage, which is really what he was born to do. New York now has two safeties who are flexible in coverage and against the run. I’ll go as far as saying that after giving McKinney a year to develop, the Giants have the best safety pairing in the league in 2021. By a lot.

I love the dedication to the offensive line in this draft, and it continued with another steal in Matt Peart in the 3rd round. Peart needs some work, but again, Solder and Thomas will anchor the line next year. Give it a year or two and once Solder retires, Peart will be ready to take the right side of the line while Thomas heads to the left. Great planning ahead by the Giants, who also planned ahead for the secondary. Darnay Holmes in the 4th round makes the third steal of the draft for the Giants. Holmes is a little undersized, but has the athleticism and coverage skills worthy of a Day 2 selection. The Giants grabbed him on day 3. Just spectacular work there. The offensive line reinforcements kept coming with Lemieux, who figures to be at least contending for a future guard or center spot on the offensive line. Finally, I think Carter Coughlin is the best linebacker of the 4 drafted, which makes him worthy of a backup role in his first year.

My only real knock is the 4 linebackers. I do not see the need there, especially when a guy like tight end Hunter Bryant falls so deep in the 7th round. I also was going to go after the lack of wide receivers, but after seeing the group that was brought in after the draft, all of whom should have been drafted at some point, it is hard to find a flaw there. The Giants absolutely crushed this draft. This is the best draft Gettleman has had in New York. Easily. I have to knock it a bit because I am not sure how many of those linebackers will end up making the roster, but damn. This draft is balanced and nearly perfect. Now the question is, Is Daniel Jones ready to put it all together?

The Grade: A-

Washington Redskins: Biggest Needs- OL, TE, WR, CB, EDGE

1st Round: EDGE Chase Young, Ohio State

3rd Round: RB/WR Antonio Gibson, Memphis

4th Round: OT Saahdiq Charles, LSU

4th Round: WR Antonio Gandy-Golden, Liberty

5th Round: OL Keith Ismael, San Diego State

5th Round: LB Khaleke Hudson, Michigan

7th Round: S Kamren Curl, Arkansas

7th Round: DE James Smith-Williams, NC State

Notable Undrafted: TE Thaddeus Moss, LSU; WR Isaiah Wright, Temple; QB Steven Montez, Colorado

I really like this class. First year head coach Ron Rivera had to go with best available in Chase Young, and I think he is a home run. With Ryan Kerrigan one year away from free agency, the Redskins get his replacement now and open up the option of trading Kerrigan to free cap space. The Redskins traded their second pick to move up for Sweat last year, and he and Young will anchor the defensive line for years to come. Antonio Gibson must have reminded Rivera of his former playmaker Christian McCaffrey in regard to his versatility, and I think he will be able to get the most out of him, although receiver is likely his main role in Washington with Guice and Peterson in the backfield. Regardless, Gibson ran a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash, so he adds the speed that Rivera was looking for.

The bombshell of the night came when LT Trent Williams was traded to the 49ers for a 5th round pick this year and a 3rd round pick next year. While that does not seem like a lot, it was probably the best they could do after Williams made it clear he wanted out. The Redskins then drafted Saahdiq Charles out of LSU, who is a Day 2 talent who likely slipped due to character concerns. If any head coach can get through to a struggling young player, it's Rivera. No need to knock that pick. From there, the Redskins add Antonio Gandy-Golden, who was 3rd in the FBS in both receptions and receiving yards last year. Great value in the 4th. After bolstering their offensive line once again, the Redskins found a solid linebacker in Khaleke Hudson, who was a vital piece of multiple top-5 defenses at Michigan. He excels close to the line of scrimmage but can also drop back and cover some tight ends. Great value and he will definitely make the roster.

Once again, the undrafted talent here cannot be overstated. Montez will be great as a backup in the league, and both Moss and Wright should have been drafted at some point. Rivera added some weapons for QB Dwayne Haskins, but he also added talent, speed, and depth all across the board. I loved the hire of Ron Rivera, and I am sure I will love what he does with this draft.

The Grade: A-

Philadelphia Eagles: Biggest Needs: WR, OL, LB, CB, S

1st Round: WR Jalen Reagor, TCU

2nd Round: QB Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma

3rd Round: LB Davion Taylor, Colorado

4th Round: S K’Von Wallace, Clemson

5th Round: WR John Hightower, Boise State

6th Round: LB Shaun Bradley, Temple

6th Round: WR Quez Watkins, Southern Miss

6th Round: OT Prince Tega Wanogho, Auburn

7th Round: LB Casey Toohill, Stanford

Confusing. That’s the word that comes to mind with this draft. First of all, Reagor is not a WR1. He is small and shifty, but not a top target for any team, and the Eagles need a solid target. How they let Justin Jefferson go is beyond me. The Eagles then made a baffling move in taking Jalen Hurts in the second round. How do you justify not taking a position of need there? Offensive tackle Ezra Cleveland was still available, as were countless safeties and linebackers. Hurts in Philadelphia makes no sense. He is not Taysom Hill. Hurts will not block or return punts, and he should not have to! He is a true quarterback. If the Eagles wanted a backup to Carson Wentz, they should have found that on Day 3.

The Eagles made up for their early lapses in judgment a little bit by taking safety K’Von Wallace in the 4th round, which was one of the biggest steals of the night. Wallace was extremely underrated going into the draft, and he can certainly push for playing time in the Philadelphia secondary. Adding another underrated talent in John Hightower certainly helped bump this class up, as did the addition of stud offensive lineman Prince Tega Wanogho in the 6th round. However, the Eagles were playing catch up all three days.

Overall, this draft class was extremely lacking. They waited until the 6th round to address their lack of linebacker depth, and they unnecessarily drafted a quarterback. Not to mention the fact that there are almost no notable undrafted signees to speak of. This was far and away the worst class in the NFC East, and the Eagles will feel the effects of this for the next couple of years. What a disaster for Philadelphia.

The Grade: C-