Draft grades and reaction: NFC East

2022 saw the NFC East rise to prominence as one of the strongest divisions in the NFL with the Eagles and Cowboys looking like genuine Super Bowl contenders and the Giants making the divisional round. The 2023 draft is chance for the arms race to continue, so let’s take a look at how the teams got on.

Mazi Smith out of Michigan looks to be a talented and athletic interior defensive lineman, but probably won’t blow anyone away with his statistical impact. If he can occupy space for the other talented players on Dallas’ defense, this could well work out as a good pick.

After losing reliable tight-end Dalton Schultz in free agency, the Cowboys did well to replace him with Luke Schoonmaker who could well become Dak’s favourite target underneath. Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown rounded out day two, a ‘traits-y’ player who could develop into a starting inside linebacker.

Dallas added depth along the trenches as well as receiver, running back, and corner in the later rounds, all seemingly picks who could add depth moving forward. The Cowboys used two of their fifth-round picks to acquire Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore in trades, both good players for a team looking to win now.

Nothing about the Dallas draft jumps off the page as especially exciting, but Mazi Smith will be a tough player in the middle of their defense and they have been able to reload at TE and add depth elsewhere. This could well end up being a very solid class for the Cowboys.

Deonte Banks out of Maryland was selected by the Giants with the 24th overall pick. Banks is a long and fluid cornerback who looks to be a day one starter. Banks was probably in the second tier of corners in this year’s draft, but he will help a secondary without much depth on the outside.

Adding their probable starting center in John Michael Schmitz in the second round was a good start to day two for the Giants, but snagging Jalin Hyatt in the third looks to be an absolute steal. With a lack of depth at receiver, Hyatt’s speed and size could be a real asset.

Eric Gray out of Oklahoma will immediately help take some pressure off Saquon Barkley in the running game and adding a few more depth pieces to their defense completed what looks to be a pretty good day three for the Giants.

The Giants hopes in 2023 won’t hinge on how their draft class performs, but they have managed to improve in some areas of need. It certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see Jalin Hyatt become a favorite target of Daniel Jones very soon.

The rich get richer, with the Eagles coming off a Super Bowl loss and able to add two of the top defensive prospects in the draft on day one. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter and edge Nolan Smith will come in and add explosiveness to a defense that is riddled with stars.

With two picks at the start of round three, the Eagles added Tyler Steen from Alabama who will compete for the right guard spot immediately, and add swing-tackle depth and safety Sydney Brown from Illinois. Brown was seen as a ‘red-star’ player by the Eagles signifying they believe he is a very good prospect.

Continuing the Georgia theme by taking cornerback Kelee Ringo in round four, the Eagles managed to add a possible future starter after they fell dramatically in the draft. Tanner McKee is a possible backup QB option in the future and Moro Ojomo is another big body on the D line.

If Jalen Carter turns out to be as good as advertised, the Eagles are set to keep competing for the foreseeable future. Adding the freakishly athletic Smith with their second, first round pick was classic Howie Roseman and will make stopping the Eagles’ pass rush even harder in 2023.

The Commanders took a big swing on Emmanuel Forbes at number 16 when Christian Gonzalez was still on the board. Forbes tied the record for most pick-sixes in NCAA history but his incredibly lean frame could well be exploited by physical NFL receivers. A high-risk, potentially high-reward pick.

The Commanders grabbed some more defensive back help in second round, selecting Jartavius Martin who will play all over the field in pass defense sets. Ricky Stromberg from Arkansas could well be a future starter but this was seen as a reach in the third round by some.

Braeden Daniels has future starting guard potential, despite playing tackle in college so this could be a great value pick in the fourth. Adding some running back depth and taking some flyers on edge defenders made this a decent looking day three.

If Emmanuel Forbes becomes the interception magnet he was in college, then this grade could well be very low, but the chances of that seem slim. He could well become a good starting corner, but the size worries are real. Good looking depth was added elsewhere.