Grading the rest of the NFC East's drafts
We've sliced and diced the Eagles' picks since the draft wrapped up Saturday evening. Let's take a peek at what the rest of the division did, using my proprietary smiley face grading system.
Best pick: Morgan Moses
One thing Redskins opponents could always count on over the last decade or so was a matchup advantage over their RT. This draft was loaded with quality OTs, and a very good one in Moses slid to the Redskins in the beginning of the 3rd round, which was tremendous value for them at a position of need.
Bashaud Breeland was also a good pick in the 4th round. In the past, the Redskins have valued ball hawks in their secondary, but compromised on physical players who could tackle. Breeland is a physical player at CB, who was getting late first round buzz until he had a bad Combine. But in the 4th round, the Redskins again got good value.
Worst pick: Trent Murphy
Murphy led the nation with 15 sacks, but will likely have limited value at the next level. Murphy is a good pass rusher, but will struggle in space in the NFL. If the Redskins carve out a role in which they let him attack the QB with minimal responsibilities otherwise, he can potentially rack up good numbers, but his value as a complete 3-4 OLB just isn't very high.
Tulane WR Ryan Grant was a player I watched in preparation for the Senior Bowl, who never really did anything for me.
The Redskins of course did not have a 1st round pick due to the RG3 trade, and were thus unable to select any impact players in a draft loaded with them.
Grade: (Shrug)
Best pick: Weston Richburg
Richburg and USC center Marcus Martin were the two best centers in the draft. The Giants get themselves an immediate starter along the interior of their OL, where they really struggled in 2013.
The Giants also now have three legitimate weapons at WR -- Reuben Randle, Odell Beckham, and Victor Cruz. That trio will be difficult to stop. You better have three good corners.
Worst pick: Honestly, I don't dislike any of the Giants' picks, but if we're going to nitpick, I'll go with Andre Williams
Williams had 10 catches in his 4-year career at Boston College. Ten. He had none in 2013. Scouting reports will also tell you that he struggles in pass protection. So what you have here is a player that is totally ineffective in the passing game. If he's in the game, you should have a pretty good idea that the Giants will be running. Otherwise, it's 10.5 on 11. Williams will have to refine his skills in the passing game in the NFL or risk being a one-dimensional player.
Of course, the guy ran for 2177 yards in 2013, and they got him in the 4th round. So there's that.
Grade: I see what you did, Giants.
Best pick: Zack Martin
Martin shouldn't have fallen to 16th overall, in my opinion. But he did, and the Cowboys didn't mess it up by taking Johnny Manziel or something else similarly ridiculous. The Cowboys' OL has been a nightmare for a long time, but with three young starters (Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, and Martin), Dallas should have a good OL for the foreseeable future. Good value, good pick.
And then that momentum was destroyed early in the second round...
Worst pick: Demarcus Lawrence
The selection of Demarcus Lawrence is fine. Lawrence is a good player, and should contribute in the Cowboys' 32nd ranked defense. However, the Cowboys remain delusional about what they are as a football team. They have holes galore on the defensive side of the ball, and really can't afford to give up picks. Not only did the Cowboys trade up, but they got destroyed on the draft value chart.
To move up from 47 to 34, the Cowboys gave up their 3rd round pick, when a 4th round pick should have been the appropriate compensation. The trade details:
• Redskins get: 47th overall (430) + 78th overall (200) = 630.
• Cowboys get: 34th overall = 560.
The Cowboys got burned when they traded up to select Morris Claiborne in 2012. They did not learn their lesson. Memo to the Cowboys: You are more than just a player or two away. Stop trading valuable picks to move up a few spots for a player who is likely only marginally better than what you would have gotten at 47.
Grade: Jerry Jones, please live to be 150.
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