2019 NFL Draft Recap – NFC East

Now that the NFL Draft has long seen its completion, it’s a great opportunity to dive in and analyse the potential. The NFC East is a division which appears to house two teams ready to compete at high levels, while the others are looking to get back on track. With the Eagles again looking to lead the pack, the Cowboys should do their best to put a wrench in their plans. Solid talent was added to all these clubs with the Redskins becoming the most intriguing.

NFC EAST

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Round 1 (22): Andre Dillard (OL) - Washington State

Round 2 (53): Miles Sanders (RB) - Penn State

Round 2 (57): J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (WR) - Stanford

Round 4 (138): Shareef Miller (DL) - Penn State

Round 5 (167): Clayton Thorson (QB) - Northwestern

Undrafted Free Agents:

Nate Herbig, OL, Stanford | Joey Alfieri, LB, Stanford | T.J. Edwards, LB, Wisconsin | Mason Moe, LB, UC Davis | Kevin Wilkins, DT, Rutgers | Deandre Thompkins, WR Penn State | Ajene Harris, DB, Southern California | Iosua Opeta, OL, Weber State | Jamalcolm Liggins, CB, Dickinson State | Ryan Bates, OL, Penn State | Anthony Rush, DT, Alabama-Birmingham | Keegan Render, OL, Iowa | Tyrell Gilbert, DB, Cincinnati | Jerry Iweh, LB, Fairmont State | Nico Evans, RB, Wyoming

When the Philadelphia Eagles missed out on returning to the Super Bowl last season, it was clear that this club was missing quite a few pieces to the puzzle. Having clear depth issues on the defense while seeing great need to improve in several aspects on the offense, many of those inadequacies were identified via free agency.

Heading into the draft with many holes already filled, it was clear to us that adding viable depth and offensive punch was the objective. Securing one of the drafts best tackles in the first round, the Eagles potentially grabbed a future 10 year starter at the position. Andre Dillard checks off many boxes one would be looking for when it comes to offensive linemen. He’s put together extremely well and possesses a great level of smarts to understand systems and schemes. Some have questioned his athletic ability, but we aren’t worried about that one bit. If keeping Carson Wentz off the turf was an issue before, it shouldn’t be moving forward.

Perhaps one of our favorite players to come out of this draft, the Eagles in our minds literally struck gold with Penn State product Miles Sanders! Many want to devalue the skillset of Sanders simply because he came after Saquon Barkley. Sanders is an incredibly gifted individual who houses a world class jump cut and change of direction that will rival the best in the league. Sanders does possess deceptive power to go along with great speed that should allow him to have an instant role on this offense. Some question the breakaway speed and burst at times, but trust me when I tell you; he is the real deal. Our pre-draft comparison listed Sanders as a young LeSean McCoy, and we shall stick to that evaluation.

It’s possible that one of the most underrated receivers to come out of the draft class was the Eagles third selection. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside out of Stanford is an extremely exciting prospect that should gain a role in the near future. Checking off the size measurables for an outside receiver, Arcega-Whiteside will have a role in the redzone in his rookie season. The greatest concern for Arcega-Whiteside is the lack of overall speed to pull away from defenders. Also having issues in press coverage, he’ll certainly gain experience from Alshon Jeffery in training camp. The outlook for Arcega-Whiteside in 2019 should be rather meek; but the potential will be high in the coming seasons.

       

WASHINGTON REDSKINS

Round 1 (15): Dwayne Haskins (QB) - Ohio State

Round 1 (26): Montez Sweat (DL) - Mississippi State

Round 3 (76): Terry McLaurin (WR) - Ohio State

Round 4 (112): Bryce Love (RB) - Stanford

Round 4 (131): Wes Martin (OL) - Indiana

Round 5 (153): Ross Pierschbacher (OL) - Alabama

Round 5 (173) Cole Holcomb (LB) - North Carolina

Round 6 (206) Kelvin Harmon (WR) - North Carolina State

Round 7 (227) Jimmy Moreland (DB) - James Madison

Round 7 (253): Jordan Brailford (DL) - Oklahoma State

Undrafted Free Agents:

BJ Blunt, LB, McNeese State | Juwann Bushell-Beatty, OL, Michigan | Chidi Okeke, OL, Tennessee State | Kano Dillon, TE, Oregon | Steven Sims, Jr., WR, Kansas | T.J. Rahming, WR, Duke | JoJo McIntosh, DB, Washington | Ryan Bee, DT, Marshall

Going back to review the Washington Redskins draft class, we instantly remember why we got so excited over draft weekend. The Redskins fan base should be jumping for joy when looking over this potential as it appears that home runs were hit on more than one occasion.

With the unfortunate injury to Alex Smith last season, Washington was forced back to the drawing board in terms of finding yet another replacement at the quarterback position. With much speculation on draft night, many (including us) had the Skins trading up to secure the services of one of these rookie quarterbacks. As the Skins watched the board unfold, great fortune was staring them in the face when Dwayne Haskins was passed up by the Giants and found his home with the Redskins. Haskins is an interesting player that has drawn comparisons to that of Drew Bledsoe, with his statue type pocket reliance. We ourselves did like other quarterbacks from this class over the Ohio State product but believe this could be a sound match for the club.     

Gaining a second first-round selection in the 2019 draft, Washington took a chance on a player that was pegged to go higher but lost steam with a potential heart condition. Barring any health issues in the future, Montez Sweat is an absolute theft at pick 26 overall. Sweat holds great size, speed, and power which is a great positive for any edge rusher and should fit in well on this already stout Skins defensive line. Scoring a top flight player this late in the first round should find a great return on investment.

Continuing down the path of solid draft selections, Washington was in dire need of replacing the many holes of this receiving core, to which they secured the services of Haskins teammate Terry McLaurin. McLaurin is an absolute speedster that shows it on the field and not just in practice. He possesses a good release off the line and has great ball tracking ability. While he could easily play the outside and should be very successful at it, we would love to see a full time role in the slot where he could do the most damage. We truly believe McLaurin has been underrated by the scouting department.

With shoring up the offensive line and adding depth to the line backer position was a great need, we’ll forgo those picks to jump in on another receiver selected in Kelvin Harmon of NC State. It was clear this draft was full of defensive talent leaving many of these receivers to take a tumble down the board. Harmon however is also a talented specimen who’s height and strength could become a problem for the opposition. Harmon is very physical and won’t let many bully him on field. With that said, he does require refinement to his overall game and should be realized around the half way point of the season. A new look offense will be exciting to watch in Washington this season.      

DALLAS COWBOYS

Round 2 (58): Trysten Hill (DL) - UCF

Round 3 (90): Connor McGovern (G) - Penn State

Round 4 (128): Tony Pollard (RB) - Memphis

Round 5 (158): Michael Jackson Sr. (DB) - Miami (Fla.)

Round 5 (165): Joe Jackson (DL) - Miami (Fla.)

Round 6 (213): Donovan Wilson (S) - Texas A&M

Round 7 (218): Mike Weber (RB) - Ohio State

Round 7 (241): Jalen Jelks (DL) - Oregon

Undrafted Free Agents:

Jalen Guyton, WR, North Texas | Mitch Hyatt, OL, Clemson | Chris Westry, CB, Kentucky | Brandon Knight, OL, Indiana | Luke Gifford, LB, Nebraska | Andrew Dowell, LB, Michigan State | Jon'Vea Johnson, WR, Toledo | Ricky Walker, DT, Virginia Tech | Derrick Puni, OL, Central Missouri | Daniel Wise, DT, Kansas | Nate Hall, LB, Northwestern | Justin Phillips, LB, Oklahoma State | Larry Allen, Jr., OL, Harvard

Over the past few drafts, we were forced to applaud the work done by Jerry Jones and his scouting staff after turning out many fantastic choices. This year however, our outlook isn’t as favorable overall.

Not having a first round selection after trading that to the Raiders for super talent Amari Cooper. The Cowboys were looking to beef up both the offensive and defensive lines with this class. With their first pick in selecting defensive tackle Trysten Hill, he won’t be the most exciting addition but will clog up the middle quite well. Hill does have good ability but will have many of those “welcome to the NFL” moments in his rookie season.

Feeling a lot better with their third round pick, Connor McGovern should be able to find a place on an offensive line that was at one point the best in the league. With Travis Frederick continuing to deal with injuries, McGovern does have the ability to play both guard and center. Showing great ability in the run game is just what the Cowboys look for to open lanes for their star runner Zeke Elliott. This should turn out to be a very sound pick for Dallas in the long run.

Adding more depth to the defensive line and defensive backs with multiple picks, the one player that has us very interested is their seventh round pick in Mike Weber. Weber is one player that this offense didn’t have in the past. Having good size and strength, Weber is a very capable runner that should get some time in relief work. While Tony Pollard should get the first crack at having the backup role, don’t count out Weber from making waves early and often.     

NEW YORK GIANTS

Round 1 (6): Daniel Jones (QB) - Duke

Round 1 (17): Dexter Lawrence (DL) - Clemson

Round 1 (30) Deandre Baker (DB) - Georgia

Round 3 (95): Oshane Ximines (DL) - Old Dominion

Round 4 (108): Julian Love (DB) - Notre Dame

Round 5 (143): Ryan Connelly (LB) - Wisconsin

Round 5 (171): Darius Slayton (WR) - Auburn

Round 6 (180): Corey Ballentine (DB) - Washburn

Round 7 (232): George Asafo-Adjei (OL) - Kentucky

Round 7 (245): Chris Slayton (DL) - Syracuse

Undrafted Free Agents:

Reggie White Jr., WR, Monmouth | James O'Hagan, Buffalo | Josiah Tauaefa, LB, Texas-San Antonio | Paul Adams, OL, Missouri | Jonathan Hilliman, RB, Rutgers | Jacob Thieneman, S, Purdue | Jake Carlock, CB, Long Island-Post | Mark McLaurin, S, Mississippi State | Alex Wesley, WR, Northern Colorado | Jeremiah Harris, LB, Eastern Michigan

When the New York Giants traded Odell Beckham Jr to the Browns in hopes to secure more draft capital to revamp this team, general manager Dave Gettlemen sent harpoons through the hearts of the home town faithful.

Everyone in New York truly believed that Dwayne Haskins would be the heir apparent to the aging Eli Manning, but the shocker dropped when Daniel Jones name was called at sixth overall. In our eyes Jones isn’t a terrible prospect but will struggle early on to understand the NFL game. Being regarded as a similar talent to that of Ryan Tannehill, the Giants didn’t necessarily make the gravest of mistakes. Jones does possess a good arm with very good vision to aid in his accuracy. The issues as we see it is his lack of instincts that will get him into trouble in this league. Sitting behind a player of Manning’s knowledge could correct inefficiencies in his overall game, but big improvements will have to be seen before we can endorse Jones.    

As upset as the fan base was with the Jones pick, the Giants made up for that with Dexter Lawrence while trading back into the first round to snag cover dynamo DeAndre Baker. Lawrence is a beast of a man who stands six-foot, four-inches tall weighing nearly 350 pounds. Having a true run stuffer will go a long way in how the Giants orchestrate their defensive systems weekly. He is surprisingly athletic for a man of his size and should prove to be a nightmare to block. Vince Wilfork could be seen as a good comparable.  

One of the more exciting defensive backs in this class, former Georgia Bulldog DeAndre Baker will become a force in coverage for the big-blue. While most scouts looked the other way because of his lack of today’s NFL size for corners, Baker makes up for it in how he plays the game. Being sound in press coverage will be his largest strength in the NFL, but will get burned if he allows receivers to muscle outside. But still, we are very encouraged with this selection to help a defense that showed glaring issues last season.

Continuing down the trend of re-stacking the defensive back room, fourth rounder Julian Love should show his worth early on this season. Having a clear nose for the ball with very intelligent instincts, Love was a team leader in pass breakups back in Notre Dame. While his speed might be a concern against the speedy pass catchers in the league, we could envision a role as the Nickel corner on this defense. The potential is here for Love to become a great NFL player.