The 2020 NFL Draft is officially in the books which means it’s time to evaluate each draft class. Starting with the NFC East, we’re going to give out grades for the Eagles, Cowboys, Giants, and Redskins. I have some big thoughts for this division so let’s get right into it. Here are your 2020 NFL Draft grades for the NFC East.
Dallas Cowboys: Grade A+
- Round 1, Pick No. 17: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
- Round 2, Pick No. 51: Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama
- Round 3, Pick No. 82: Neville Gallimore, DT, Oklahoma
- Round 4, Pick No. 123: Reggie Robinson II, CB, Tulsa
- Round 4, Pick No. 146: Tyler Biadasz, C, Wisconsin
- Round 5, Pick No. 179: Bradlee Anae, DE Utah
- Round 7, Pick No. 231: Ben DiNucci, QB, James Madison
Coming into the 2020 NFL Draft, I thought Philadelphia was the clear lead dog in the NFC East. Dallas lost Robert Quinn, Byron Jones, Travis Frederick, Randall Cobb, Maliek Collins, and Jeff Heath. The additions of Greg Zuerlein Gerald McCoy, Dontari Poe, Ha Ha Clinton Dix, and Maurice Canady probably resulted in a negative. Dallas got worse, not better.
AFTER the 2020 NFL Draft, Dallas hasn’t just closed the gap on Philadelphia. They created their own gap. It’s time to stop the dumb narrative that Jerry Jones doesn’t know how to draft. All this guy does is hit home runs in the draft. In fact, Jerry is better than at least 80 percent of the league on an annual basis. Coaching is the issue in Dallas, not talent.
Grabbing CeeDee Lamb at 17 is comical. Lamb was a top 10 player in this draft. He was apparently 6 on the Cowboys board. You take the best player available. I’ll never argue with that strategy. I think Dallas added a Chad Johnson type player at 17 to go along with Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. How many toys does Dak Prescott need? This offense is scary.
Dallas played the day 2 picks to perfection. Teams in the first round were reaching for corners like crazy. I didn’t get it. Dallas just sat there and took Trevon Diggs like it was nothing. Incredible job. Diggs, the brother of Stefon, has great ball skills. No, he’s not the athlete Byron Jones is, but he may create more turnovers. A VERY smart play.
Then you add Neville Gallimore in the 3rd round. I like Gallimore at this spot. Again, Dallas just sat there and came away with a pro. We have some depth on this defensive line now.
Day 3 attacked needs in a smart way. Reggie Robinson was a bit grabby for me at the Senior Bowl but he has some talent. Trading up for Tyler Biadasz was a great play. You swap out one Wisconsin center for another. Biadasz isn’t Frederick but he won the Rimmington award for a reason. He can play. Add on Bradlee Anae who is quicker than fast but fills a big need at defensive end. He had one of the best 10-yard split times.
There is no other way to say it. What a fucking draft for Dallas. Stop talking shit on Jerry Jones. The guy knows what he’s doing.
New York Giants: Grade B+
- Round 1, Pick No. 4: Andrew Thomas, LT, Georgia
- Round 2, Pick No. 36: Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama
- Round 3, Pick No. 99: Matt Peart, OT, UConn
- Round 4, Pick No. 110: Darnay Holmes, CB, UCLA
- Round 5, Pick No. 150: Shane Lemieux, G, Oregon
- Round 6, Pick No. 183: Cam Brown, OLB, Penn State
- Round 7, Pick No. 218: Carter Coughlin, LB, Minnesota
- Round 7, Pick No. 238: T.J. Brunson, ILB, South Carolina
- Round 7, Pick No. 247: Chris Williamson, CB, Minnesota
- Round 7, Pick No. 255: Tae Crowder, LB, Georgia
I don’t think it was a perfect draft for the Giants, but it was a really good one. Andrew Thomas was the number one left tackle on my board. I think this was the right play for the G-Men. When you take Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones, you better protect them. Thomas projects as an All-Pro for me. Dave Gettleman didn’t stop there. He added Matt Peart and Shane Lemieux on the offensive line too. Peart is a project but has crazy measurables. Lemieux was part of a great offensive line at Oregon. That’s going to make the Giants more competitive.
The rest of the draft went towards defense which was the right play. The comp I had on Xavier McKinney was Landon Collins. Interesting that the Giants take him. McKinney wasn’t my favorite safety but he can definitely play. I was also really into Darnay Holmes. He had some of the best feet at the combine and a former top recruit.
Even some of the flier picks I liked. Sign me up for Cam Brown, Carter Coughlin, and Tae Crowder. Today is not a day you can make fun of Dave Gettleman for. He did a great job.
Philadelphia Eagles: Grade D
- Round 1, Pick No. 21: Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU
- Round 2, Pick No. 53: Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma
- Round 3, Pick No. 103: Davion Taylor, LB, Colorado
- Round 4, Pick No. 127: K’Von Wallace, S, Clemson
- Round 4, Pick No. 145: Jack Driscoll, OT, Auburn
- Round 5, Pick No. 168: John Hightower, WR, Boise State
- Round 6, Pick No. 196: Shaun Bradley, LB, Temple
- Round 6, Pick No. 200: Quez Watkins, WR, Southern Miss
- Round 6, Pick No. 210: Pince Tega-Wanogho, OT, Auburn
- Round 7, Pick No. 233: Casey Toohill, OLB, Stanford
I’m not sure anybody has a worse start to their draft than the Eagles. I thought they did a nice save face job on day 3. This isn’t a joke. I’ve been a big advocate of Howie Roseman. I would fire him today.
The Eagles needed wide receiver help. That wasn’t a secret. However, it’s hard not to call what happened in the first round a failure. The failure to trade up for CeeDee Lamb I won’t hold against him too much. BUT… to take Jalen Reagor at 21 is/was laughable. He would have been there 10 picks later. May have been there 20 picks later. Move down. KJ Hamler went in the middle of the 2nd round who I think is better. Reagor has drop issues too which is the last thing the Eagles need. Reagor may end up making it but even reaching a DeSean Jackson ceiling doesn’t feel likely. In a deep wide receiver draft, there was no reason to do this. Especially when someone who is the caliber of Lamb went 4 picks earlier. Passing on Justin Jefferson who went the very next pick doesn’t seem smart.
Then the Eagles did the unthinkable. Anybody who drafts Jalen Hurts in the 2nd round did more listening to the media than actually watching the games. Hurts can’t play. Not even a little. I had him ranked 8th on my QB big board for a reason. He can’t process information, holds on to the ball too long, and often flees the pocket for no reason. Before Lincoln Riley, he couldn’t even throw. What are you doing?
Now the rest of the draft, I actually think they did a pretty nice job. Davion Taylor is going to be a Nate Gerry type player. Time will tell if he’s better or worse. K’Von Wallace was a good snag. He was a good play at Clemson. I’m just not sure how dynamic he is from an athleticism standpoint. Shaun Bradley will make an impact right away. Finally a linebacker with some range and tackling ability. The Auburn tackles are both really nice fliers. They might end up starters down the line. Loved those picks. Even getting Marquise Goodwin in a pick swap was a job well done.
Quez Watkins summed up this draft perfectly. It’s a deep wide receiver draft. To find someone like Watkins in round 6 is great value. Watkins ran a 4.35 – 40 time and actually could turn into their deep threat. Why are you taking Jalen Reagor at 21 when this is available in the 6th round? The failures in the first and second round would have given them an F. The strong day 3 picks rounds it up to a D.
Washington Redskins: Grade A-
- Round 1, Pick No. 2: Chase Young, DE, Ohio State
- Round 3, Pick No. 66: Antonio Gibson, WR, Memphis
- Round 4, Pick No. 108: Saahdiq Charles, OT, LSU
- Round 4, Pick No. 142: Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR, Liberty
- Round 5, Pick No. 156: Keith Ismael, C, San Diego State
- Round 5, Pick No. 162: Khaleke Hudson, LB, Michigan
- Round 7, Pick No. 216: Kamren Curl, S, Arkansas
- Round 7, Pick No. 229: James Smith-Williams, DE, N.C. State
I’m giving the Redskins an A- for the sole fact that they got Chase Young. They walked out of the draft with a Hall of Famer. The rest is gravy. I’m sliding the grade down to an A- because I pretty much hated everything else they did.
Antonio Gibson was a waste. They already have 700 running backs. He’s a worse version of Tony Pollard. That can’t be your 3rd round pick when you don’t have a 2nd. Saahdip Charles is going to be the replacement for Trent Williams. Good luck. The LSU offensive line was much better up the middle than it was at tackle. I just didn’t love the fliers they took at all. The only one I’m really a fan of his Khaleke Hudson. I’ll still take this draft class as a good one. Chase Young is one it.
