NFL Draft Grades: Giants, Packers get full marks
Dallas Cowboys: D
The Cowboys drafted a lot of players, but there isn’t a ton of high-end talent in the group. Leighton Vander Esch could be a stud, but the fact that he only has one year of college tape is concerning. It’s possible he could be a flash in the pan.
After that, there isn’t a ton to get excited about. Connor Williams and Michael Gallup could both develop into starters over time, but neither has real star potential. Dalton Schultz needs to hit to help offset the impending loss of Jason Witten. Simply put, this was a pretty poor effort put forth by the Cowboys’ front office.
New York Giants: A
Dave Gettleman might struggle to relate to players after he selects them, but it’s hard to argue with his draft acumen. He led the Giants to one of the NFL’s best hauls.
Taking a running back at number two drew criticism from some people, but Saquon Barkley is a special talent. He’ll help Eli Manning immediately.
Gettleman spent the rest of the draft trying to strengthen New York in the trenches. Picking hog mollies like Will Hernandez and B.J. Hill will pay huge dividends down the line. Don’t sleep on edge rusher Lorenzo Carter either. He could develop into a terrific pass rusher after a healthy dose of Giants’ coaching.
Philadelphia Eagles: B-
When you’re the Super Bowl Champions it’s rather difficult to have a great draft. After all, the Eagles weren’t blessed with very high picks.
They did manage to come away with two players with Pro Bowl potential. No one is sure Dallas Goedert or Josh Sweat will ever maximize their talent, but if they do the Eagles front office will look very smart for selecting them with such low picks. The Eagles didn’t have a lot to work with, but they did a fair amount with what they had.
Washington Redskins: D
The Redskins really had their hearts set on picking Vita Vea in the first round. When he went off the board just before they selected, they panicked and reached for Da’ron Payne to fill the same need. That got the ‘Skins draft off to a rough start.
Following that selection up with Derrius Guice in round two didn’t inspire any additional confidence. He’s a talented runner but his off the field antics are very concerning. He’s not the sort of player to build an offense around.
The best pick of the group might be Geron Christian. The former Louisville tackle has a chance to come in and help Washington early in his career. That’s solid value for the third round.