|
|
NFC East - Draft Report Card Cowboys: B+ Round 3 (69) Jason Williams, OLB, Western Illinois While Williams did not face elite competition in college, he looked very good against whomever he faced regardless. On top of that, he had some very strong post season workouts and really does look the part. Round 3 (75) Robert Brewster, OT, Ball State Brewster did a really good job of protecting Nate Davis, but I do think this was a little early for him to go. This is especially the case if he's being viewed more as an OG vs. OT. Round 4 (101) Stephen McGee, QB, Texas A&M This may end up being Dallas' smartest, and best pick overall. McGee wasn't able to operate out of a lucrative Offense in college, but this kid has loads of talent and should be able to fill in for Romo when time permits. Round 4 (110) Victor Butler, DE, Oregon State Butler's undersized for a DE so he'll have to transition to an OLB role at the next level. He's shown to be an effective pass rusher with decent skills. Many had him rated as a 6th-7th Rounder though. Round 4 (120) Brandon Williams, DE, Texas Tech It surprised many to see Butler taken before Williams, but such was the case. Williams is another crafty edge rusher that will have to convert. He's good value here. Round 5 (143) DeAngelo Smith, CB, Cincinnati Smith is a nice value here because he can play at CB or FS. Round 5 (166) Michael Hamlin, SS, Clemson I had Hamlin rated as one of the top SSs in the draft, so I was very surprised to see him drop here. While I know the position wasn't real strong this year as a whole, I think Dallas got a good one here. Round 5 (172) David Buehler, K Southern Cal Buehler is stronger than many of the LBs out there and has a powerful leg to match. He'll be a starter somewhere before long. Round 6 (197) Stephen Hodge, SS, TCU Hodge is another talent that brings versatility to the table. He played SS in college, but he has the size and strength to move to a LB spot if needed. He played for one of the best Defenses in college last year and has been well-coached. Round 6 (208) John Phillips, TE, Virginia I really like this pick. Phillips is a blue collar type of player that can play very well and catch a pass or two when needed. He's a good value here. Round 7 (227) Mike Mickens, CB, Cincinnati After tearing an ACL, Mickens saw his stock take a terrible tumble. Prior to his injury, he was one of the nation's best CBs. I hope he recovers and shows up all those who took a pass on him. Round 7 (229) Manuel Johnson, WR, Oklahoma Johnson is a reliable, productive WR that has the talent to make a squad. Yes, the Cowboys didn't have any Day 1 picks. So what? They made good use of the picks they did have by adding a lot of talented, productive players to their fold. The loaded up on Defense and they should reap the benefits of doing so sooner vs. later. The only legit knock is that they may have to wait 2-3 years before getting a consistent starter out of the group. But, Dallas can afford to take this stance. Eagles: A Round 1 (19) Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri Maclin is an explosive WR with the size and speed to compete at the next level. After leading the nation with over 200 all-purpose yards per game, he's already shown that he can be a crippler with the ball in his hands. Round 2 (53) LeSean McCoy, RB, Pittsburgh This may end up being a huge steal for the Eagles. While McCoy did not test well, game tape and production doesn't lie. This guy really produces behind an average at best O-Line last year. Round 5 (153) Cornelius Ingram, TE Florida Talk about a steal...I know Ingram is coming off of a season-ending injury, but the kid looks real good thus far and can be a real receiving threat. Round 5 (157) Victor Harris, CB, Virginia Tech Macho Harris falls here because of a less than stellar 40-time, but his competitive play and ability to slide back to FS makes him a great pick. Round 5 (159) Fenuki Tupou, OT, Oregon Tupou struggles in space at times and does not have the best feet. However, he's a powerful run blocker that can really open a hole. If he can't hang at RT, he'll be a solid OG. Round 6 (194) Brandon Gibson, WR, Washington State Gibson is another talent that falls because his straight line timed speed is lacking. Despite playing for a horrible team last season, he made the most of it and looked good. This is a great value pick. Round 7 (213) Paul Fanaika, OG, Arizona State Fanaika is a decent blocker that may be able to catch on somewhere. Round 7 (230) Moise Fokou, OLB, Maryland I was surprised when he was selected for the Senior Bowl. Fokou is a decent, but not great player. This was a great draft for the Eagles because they were able to land "ready now" guys at positions of need. Their early picks were spent wisely, and they should reap the benefits from them early on. Giants: A Round 1 (29) Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina Nicks is a good-sized, physical WR that should help fill the void left by Plaxico B. He hands nice hands and should contribute early. Round 2 (45) Clint Sintim, OLB, Virginia Sintim doesn't have much experience dropping into coverage, but he's very stout against the run and can certainly wreak havoc in the backfield. Round 2 (60) William Beatty, OT, Connecticut Many draft pundits said that there would be six OTs taken in Round 1. Those that predicted as much had Beatty within the fold. He has quick feet but will need to get stronger over time. The Giants have time to ready him, so this was a real nice selection. Round 3 (85) Ramses Barden, WR, Cal Poly The Giants flew in and snatched up Barden before the Dolphins could. Barden's even bigger than Nicks and should really be a solid possession WR once he gets the game down. Round 3 (100) Travis Beckum, TE, Wisconsin Beckum is coming off of an injury but he should be just fine come the regular season. He's a very good WR that can block if required to do so as well. He could compliment Boss well. Round 4 (129) Andre Brown, RB, North Carolina State Brown looked good in the regular season, but he blew up the post season with very good workouts. The Giants lost a RB, so they added another talented one here. Round 5 (151) Rhett Bomar, QB, Sam Houston State This was one of my favorite picks of the draft. Had Bomar stayed at a FBS school, I firmly believe that he would've been a Day 1 pick this year. He's a very talented QB that will challenge for the 2nd-string spot very soon. Round 6 (200) DeAndre Wright, CB, New Mexico Wright had a pretty productive season but may ultimately lack the speed and talent to hang with the likes of the NFL Round 7 (238) Stoney Woodson, CB, South Carolina An irrelevant pick on a guy that most likely won't last... The Giants' draft was as good as any out there. They really addressed the Plaxico departure by bring in three new receiving targets. They also added some nice rotational players that will be able to contribute very soon. There's not a lot to fault with their selections. Redskins: D+ Round 1 (13) Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas The Redskins really need help at the DE spot, so this selection made a lot of sense. I personally like Orakpo more as a 4-3 DE that a 3-4 OLB. I think he'll be able to do some damage early on. Round 3 (80) Kevin Barnes, CB, Maryland Barnes is a solid CB. The boy can hit, as well as cover. He may need 2-3 years to develop, but he's a good talent. Round 5 (158) Cody Glenn, LB, Nebraska I know it's just a 5th Rounder, but Glenn didn't really stand out to me this season. I don't see much coming from this selection. Round 6 (186) Robert Henson, OLB, TCU Henson was a solid contributor on one of the best Defenses in the nation last year. He's an intense hitter that generally makes those around him better. Round 7 (221) Eddie Williams, TE, Idaho I do like this selection. Williams is a good athlete that just may be able to find a spot on the squad. Round 7 (243) Marko Mitchell, WR, Nevada Mitchell is a very good value here. He's a big WR that had a pretty good Senior campaign. I wouldn't call this a terrible draft for the Redskins. But, it certainly wasn't all that good. Orakpo is the only guy they drafted that I think will contribute as a Rookie. Bear in mind that they lost their 2nd-Rounder in trade to the Dolphins for Jason Taylor. Taylor didn't pan out, so Orakpo just fills his shoes. In essence, Orakpo was a 1st and 2nd Rounder rolled into one. They could still use help at the other DE spot, which they didn't get. Compared to the rest of the teams in their division, they just didn't stack up. |