NFC EAST
DALLAS COWBOYS
Round 1, Pick 24 (24) Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State
Round 2, Pick 23 (55) Sean Lee, LB, Penn State
Round 4, Pick 28 (126) Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, S, Indiana (PA)
Round 6, Pick 10 (179) Sam Young, T, Notre Dame
Round 6, Pick 27 (196) Jamar Wall, Texas Tech
Round 7, Pick 27 (234) Sean Lissemore, DE, William & Mary
UDFA
Delbert Alvarado PK South Florida
Will Barker OT Virginia
Barry Church S Toledo
Phil Costa C Maryland
Rashaun Greer WR Colorado State
Chris Gronkowski FB Arizona
Terrell Hudgins WR Elon
Lonyae Miller RB Fresno State
Matt Nichols QB Eastern Washington
Chet Teofilo OG California
It’s high risk/high reward for the Cowboys. Do they get Dez Bryant, the 1500 yard, 19 tds playmaker or Dez Bryant, the lying piece of shit egomaniac who hasn’t played football for a year and couldn’t even be bothered to prepare for his pro day? Do they get Sean Lee of 2007, or post knee surgery Sean Lee who was noticeably slower and less dynamic? Is Akwasi Owusu-Ansah the next Deion Sanders return stud/great DB, or another small school athlete who can’t cut it? At least with Young, Wall, and Lissemore, the risk is low, but then again, so are the rewards because I don’t think any of them will make it in the NFL. Lissemore has some upside though. Keep half an eye out of Lonyae Miller. He played behind Ryan Matthews, so he never got the chance to shine, but he could be good.
I’m a fan of taking the occasional risk in the draft, after all, playmakers can make all the difference. But taking that many risks so early in the draft can hurt the team, especially a team with some glaring holes that weren’t addressed. Still, if Bryant can produce, Lee can stay healthy and shed blocks, and the others develop, it could be a huge score. I don’t like the balance of risk/stability, but Dallas could be a better team for it. C.
NEW YORK GIANTS
Round 1, Pick 15 (15) Jean Pierre Paul, DE, South Florida
Round 2, Pick 14 (46) Linval Joseph, DT, East Carolina
Round 3, Pick 13 (76) Chad Jones, S, LSU
Round 4, Pick 17 (115) Phillip Dillard, ILB Nebraska
Round 5, Pick 16 (147) Mitch Petrus, OG, Arkansas
Round 6, Pick 15 (184) Adrian Tracy, OLB, ,William & Mary
Round 7, Pick 14 (227) Matt Dodge, P, East Carolina
UDFA
Duke Calhoun WR Memphis
Nate Collins DL Virginia
Jim Cordle OL Ohio State
Victor Cruz WR Massachusetts
Ayanga Okpokowuruk DE Duke
Chris Poole OL Holy Cross
Dominic Randolph QB Holy Cross
Leon Wright CB Duke
I like the Matt Dodge pick. That’s it. The rest of them were bad. Pierre Paul is Vernon Gholston without the productivity, Linval Joseph is fine, but inconsistent and there were better players available, Chad Jones is poor in coverage, Dillard is too slow, Petrus is dumber than a box of hammers, and Tracy will need a couple years to change to a LB, if ever. But Matt Dodge is good. And I like Nate Collins to develop. If the Giants needed a team to do bench presses, or load the ships on the docks, they should be fine. But to play professional football… Not so much. JPP will be a bust, Joseph may (MAY) be an adequate DT, but I don’t think the others will ever start. D.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Round 1, Pick 13, (13) Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan
Round 2, Pick 5 (37) Nate Allen, S, South Florida
Round 3, Pick 23 (86) Daniel Te’o-Nesheim, DE, Washington
Round 4, Pick 7 (105) Trevard Lindley, CB, Kentucky
Round 4, Pick 23 (121) Keenan Clayton, LB, Oklahoma
Round 4, Pick 24 (122) Mike Kafka, QB, Northwestern
Round 4, Pick 27 (125) Clay Harbor, TE, Missouri State
Round 5, Pick 3 (134) Ricky Sapp, DE/OLB, Clemson
Round 5, Pick 28 (159) Riley Cooper, WR, Florida
Round 6, Pick 31 (200) Charles Scott, RB, LSU
Round 7, Pick 13 (220) Jamar Chaney, LB, Mississippi State
Round 7, Pick 36 (243) Jeff Owens, DT, Georgia
Round 7, Pick 37 (244) Kurt Coleman, S, Ohio State
UDFA
Charles Alexander DT LSU
Blue Cooper WR Tenn-Chattanooga
Joey Elliott QB Purdue
Keith Flemming RB West Texas A&M
Kevin Jurovich WR San Jose State
David Pender CB Purdue
Pat Simonds WR Colgate
Chris Zardas FB Massachusetts
Damn, that’s a lot of picks. And a lot of reaches. And a lot of players who don’t fit the prototype for the systems they run. And a lot of better players not selected. And a lot of talent. And a lot of potential. And a lot of Offensive Linemen. Oh, Wait. There aren’t any offensive linemen. 13 picks and they couldn’t find one guy to fill one of their most important needs? Not great.
Here’s my take on almost every pick they made: 1) It was a reach; 2) there were better players available; 3) I don’t think it’s a good fit for what Philly does, yet: 4)I like who they picked. For example: I love Brandon Graham, coveted him as a pass rushing OLB project for the Packers, but he’s not the prototypical DE for Philly. I love Nate Allen, but it was a reach, Kindle, Mays, Clausen and others are better, but in his case, I think he’ll do fine as a ball hawking FS. Te’o- Neshiem, Lindley, and Kafka should have all been selected later, but I still like them and think they may develop well into NFL starters. Plus they got David Pender as a UDFA, which is a nice pickup. The Eagles definitely improved their defense, which is important, but left some gaps unfilled and some of the players are square pegs that will have to fit into round holes. How well they end up doing that is going to be a big part of how well this draft is viewed. All told, though, I like the guys they got, I think they got at least 4 starters short term and enough projects that a couple others may make it. And that’s what really matters. But it is mind boggling that they didn’t add depth for their O Line. That may be the downfall of this draft. B-.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Round 1, Pick 4 (4) Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma
Round 4, Pick 4 (103) Perry Riley, LB, LSU
Round 6, Pick 5 (174) Dennis Morris, TE, Louisiana Tech
Round 7, Pick 12 (219) Terrence Austin, WR, UCLA
Round 7, Pick 22 (229) Erik Cook, C, New Mexico
Round 7, Pick 24 (231) Selvish Capers, OT, West Virginia
UDFA
Daryll Clark QB Penn State
Maurice Greer RB Troy
Klint Kubiak (Tryout) S Colorado State
Jaevery McFadden (Tryout) LB Wisconsin
Bo McNally (Tryout) S Stanford
Logan Paulsen TE UCLA
Anderson Russell FS Ohio State
Marques Slocum DT Eastern Arizona
Derrick Townsel (Tryout) WR Murray State
Keiland Williams RB LSU
As much as it pains me, the Redskins get the award for steal of the draft. Getting Selvish Capers in the 7th round was a winner. Even if he never develops, the risk is so low, and the reward (a starting OT) is so high, that it was more than worth it. People will talk about the Redskins taking the less proven Williams over Okung for years, and I think the Redskins made the wrong call. But Williams should still work out OK. After that (and excluding Capers), it was an unexciting draft. Riley may be an adequate ILB, Austin may be an adequate KR/PR, and Cook may be an adequate center/guard. But they all have low ceilings, if they have a ceiling at all. Only the Capers pick and Williams’ upside saves it from being a complete wash. A big fat, MEH. C-