NFC East
New York Giants
Erd's Grade: B
The Giants didn't really address their needs early, but instead focused on taking the best player available. Their first pick, Prince Amukamara, was a great value/borderline steal pick at the 19th spot. He is one of the top talents to come out of this draft and could become a solid shutdown corner in the NFL. Their second selection was not much different, as they added a legitimate first round talent in Marvin Austin to an already solid defensive line. My biggest concern for the Giants is that they didn't address their aging offensive line until the 4th round. They rounded out their draft with a couple of linebackers and some skills players, but really failed to get younger on the O-line.
Dallas Cowboys
Erd's Grade: B
Jerry Jones and company went in the direction many thought they would. Their immediate interest was getting some protection for Tony Romo. Their selections of Tyron Smith and David Arkin in the 1st and 4th rounds respectively will help solidify their offensive front. Smith will contribute immediately and Arkin may also find himself starting at some point this season. Dallas also filled a need at linebacker by getting Bruce Carter in the 2nd round. Carter fell due to a knee injury, but when healthy is one of the most athletic to come out of this draft. They also added a couple running backs to an already deep backfield. I also have to give the Cowboys a little shout out for taking Wisconsin center Bill Nagy in the 7th round. The only need they failed to address was the defensive line, which they need to improve to remain competitive in the NFC East.
Philadelphia Eagle
Erd's Grade: B-
Philadelphia is always the least exciting team in the NFC East come draft day, but they continually come out of it with a solid draft. Andy Reid's presence showed once again, as they focused on the offensive line and the defense. With their first pick, the Eagles got help on the O-line with Danny Watkins out of Baylor, whom many had not going until the 2nd round. Following that choice, Philly improved their secondary with consecutive defensive backs. Their first 4th round selection was the most interesting of them all. The Eagles took Casey Matthews, who is the brother of Clay and the 5th Matthews drafted into the NFL. While he isn't as fast and strong as Clay, he does have the instincts and drive that are inherited with the Matthews name. They finished up their weekend by taking one of only two kickers taken in the draft, followed by a pair of RB's, OL's, and LB's. Again, not the most exciting draft, but a solid selection of players.
Washington Redskins
Erd's Grade: C-
The Redskins failed to address their biggest concern, the quarterback position. They were in position to take Blaine Gabbert, but decided to trade down. They took Ryan Kerrigan, an explosive, hard working defensive end, with their 1st pick. Perhaps they thought a quarterback would be there for them in the second round, but they watched as Ponder, Dalton and Kaepernick all went before their turn came again. They spent the rest of the draft trading down and getting depth at their other weak positions, including 3 WR, 3 DL, and 2 DB. Leave it to Mike Shanahan to also take a pair of running backs on the final day of the draft. He is likely trying to rebuild the system that worked so well for him in Denver while John Elway was leading the offense. Unfortunately, he has no John Elway in Washington, and if the Redskins can't get Kevin Kolb or Carson Palmer in free agency, they likely will find themselves at the bottom of the NFC East once again.
Dallas Cowboys
Erd's Grade: B
Jerry Jones and company went in the direction many thought they would. Their immediate interest was getting some protection for Tony Romo. Their selections of Tyron Smith and David Arkin in the 1st and 4th rounds respectively will help solidify their offensive front. Smith will contribute immediately and Arkin may also find himself starting at some point this season. Dallas also filled a need at linebacker by getting Bruce Carter in the 2nd round. Carter fell due to a knee injury, but when healthy is one of the most athletic to come out of this draft. They also added a couple running backs to an already deep backfield. I also have to give the Cowboys a little shout out for taking Wisconsin center Bill Nagy in the 7th round. The only need they failed to address was the defensive line, which they need to improve to remain competitive in the NFC East.
Philadelphia Eagle
Erd's Grade: B-
Philadelphia is always the least exciting team in the NFC East come draft day, but they continually come out of it with a solid draft. Andy Reid's presence showed once again, as they focused on the offensive line and the defense. With their first pick, the Eagles got help on the O-line with Danny Watkins out of Baylor, whom many had not going until the 2nd round. Following that choice, Philly improved their secondary with consecutive defensive backs. Their first 4th round selection was the most interesting of them all. The Eagles took Casey Matthews, who is the brother of Clay and the 5th Matthews drafted into the NFL. While he isn't as fast and strong as Clay, he does have the instincts and drive that are inherited with the Matthews name. They finished up their weekend by taking one of only two kickers taken in the draft, followed by a pair of RB's, OL's, and LB's. Again, not the most exciting draft, but a solid selection of players.
Washington Redskins
Erd's Grade: C-
The Redskins failed to address their biggest concern, the quarterback position. They were in position to take Blaine Gabbert, but decided to trade down. They took Ryan Kerrigan, an explosive, hard working defensive end, with their 1st pick. Perhaps they thought a quarterback would be there for them in the second round, but they watched as Ponder, Dalton and Kaepernick all went before their turn came again. They spent the rest of the draft trading down and getting depth at their other weak positions, including 3 WR, 3 DL, and 2 DB. Leave it to Mike Shanahan to also take a pair of running backs on the final day of the draft. He is likely trying to rebuild the system that worked so well for him in Denver while John Elway was leading the offense. Unfortunately, he has no John Elway in Washington, and if the Redskins can't get Kevin Kolb or Carson Palmer in free agency, they likely will find themselves at the bottom of the NFC East once again.
No comments:
Post a Comment