2024 NFL Draft: How did the rest of the NFC East do?

Let’s look at what the Commanders, Cowboys and Eagles did in the draft

In Joe Schoen’s third draft as general manager the New York Giants added explosive threats to their offense while reshaping their secondary. It was a good haul for New York, albeit there was no investment in either line unit, nor was there an investment at the quarterback position.

It appears like the entire NFC East had a clear vision of how to improve their respective rosters. Here’s a breakdown of the Giants’ divisional foes’ draft selections and their overall plan.

Dallas Cowboys

I wasn’t as impressed with the Dallas haul as I sit here one day after the draft, but I love the gift that keeps on giving – Jerry Jones. In typically Jerry Jones fashion, he put his own foot inside of his mouth after he told the media following Day 1 about his love for Texas running back Jonathan Brooks.

Dallas desperately needed a running back after Tony Pollard signed in Tennessee. Unfortunately for Cowboys’ nation, Carolina received Jones’ memo, and they leapfrogged Dallas and the Giants to select the Texas back, although it’s unclear if the Giants actually had interest in the talented back.

The Cowboys invested in their trenches with two of their first three selections. Dallas traded down five spots and landed Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton while pocketing a third-round pick in the process. Cooper Beebe, one of my favorite players in the draft, was selected with that third-round pick and figures to compete for the starting center spot with Tyler Biadasz now in Washington.

Dallas selected DE Marshawn Kneeland out of Western Michigan in the second round. Kneeland is 6-foot-3, 264 pounds, with a 90th percentile wingspan and large hands. Kneeland recorded 98 pressures on 841 collegiate pass-rushing reps, with 28 tackles for a loss and 13 sacks.

Dallas then added some developmental pieces for their trenches, along with a linebacker, a defensive back in Caelen Carson, and an interesting older WR who could be an interesting kickoff completion for KaVontae Turpin.

Carson handled a lot of coverage assignments at Wake Forest, but his struggles with injuries were an issue, and he’s only a modest athlete. Carson missed games in each of his last three college seasons, but he found himself around the football frequently in college (had 29 passes defended). He can play inside or outside, but he must also improve his tackling mechanics.

Round 1, pick 29: Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
Round 2, pick 56: Marshawn Kneeland, DE, Western Michigan
Round 3, pick 73: Cooper Bebee, IOL, Kansas State
Round 3, pick 87: Marist Liufau, LB, Notre Dame
Round 5, pick 174: Caelen Carson, CB, Wake Forest
Round 6, pick 216: Ryan Flournoy, WR, SE Missouri State
Round 7, pick 233: Nathan Thomas, OL, Louisiana
Round 7, pick 244: Justin Rogers, DT, Auburn

My favorite Day 3 value: Ryan Flournoy, WR, SE Missouri State

Flournoy is sneaky. He’s not the biggest; he played at a small school, and he never had more than 1,000 yards receiving in a given season. He’s also turning 25 years old in October. Still, Flournoy could be a special teams weapon with the new kickoff rules.

Flournoy tested with the fastest GPS time in drills among all wide receivers at the NFL Scouting Combine. He has speed, burst, and is elusive, with, reported, impeccable character. He has an Average Joes’ underdog story; he was a zero-star recruit who initially attended Central Missouri, then Iowa Western Community College, before landing at SE Missouri State for his final two collegiate seasons.

Philadelphia Eagles

Howie Roseman must go to Vegas because he’s touching the stove-top on nine. The Philadelphia defense was shredded last season in the secondary. The Eagles surrendered 255.7 passing yards per game in 2023, which ranked 30th in the NFL. Darius Slay and James Bradberry are north of 30, and their best years are likely behind them.

Quinyon Mitchell, out of Toledo, was one of my favorite players in the draft class. He will become quite familiar with Malik Nabers. The selection of Iowa’s Cooper DeJean via trade-up in Round 2 was frustrating, to say the least. Philadelphia’s secondary woes were an inflammatory concern for the Eagles, but Howie found multiple highly efficacious antihistamines to rectify the situation in the top 40 picks of the draft.

So, with that reality looming, Roseman spent his first two picks of the draft on two of the best defensive backs in the class. In the third round, he added a long, explosive pass rusher from Houston Christian in Jalyx Hunt before spending two Day 3 picks on the offensive line, two at wide receiver, one on a receiving running back, and another on a legacy pick in Clemson’s Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

What made Roseman’s draft haul even more impressive was the future assets he acquired through trading back. The Eagles acquired a 2025 third-round pick from Miami, a 2025 fourth-round pick from Detroit, and a 2025 fifth-round pick from Houston, all while selecting nine players in the 2024 draft. Roseman tied an NFL record with eight draft day trades.

Round 1, pick 22: Quinyon Mitchell, CB Toledo
Round 2, pick 40: Cooper DeJean, DB, Iowa
Round 3, pick 94: Jalyx Hunt, EDGE, Houston Christian
Round 4, pick 127: Will Shipley, RB, Clemson
Round 5, pick 152: Ainias Smith, WR, Texas A&M
Round 5, pick 155: Jeremiah Trotter, Jr., LB, Clemson
Round 5, pick 172: Trevor Keegan, OG, Michigan
Round 6, pick 185: Johnny Wilson, WR, Florida State
Round 6, pick 190: Dylan McMahon, iOL, North Carolina State

My favorite Day 3 value: Johnny Wilson, WR, Florida State

I like the little bit I have seen from Will Shipley, who caught 84 passes for 584 yards with two touchdowns in college. Jalen Hurts traditionally doesn’t target the running back position, but that will likely change with Kellen Moore as his offensive coordinator. Shipley will compete with Kenneth Gainwell behind Barkley, who will likely play 70-plus percent of the snaps.

However, Shipley isn’t my favorite Day 3 selection; Johnny Wilson earns that distinction.

As Bill Parcells would say, “he is a biscuit away from playing tight end.” That may be true, but Wilson is more fluid than his size profile would suggest. The Eagles have taken very large players an have attempted to convert them to the tight end position (former quarterback Tyree Jackson). While that could be in his future, I believe he is capable of competing for a roster spot at wide receiver. He was a value in the sixth round, and Roseman took the flier.

Washington Commanders

New GM Adam Peters and the Commanders had a great first draft. They landed a new face of the franchise in quarterback Jayden Daniels, another star defensive lineman in Johnny Newton, a feisty defensive back who has only played the position for a few years in Mike Sainristil, and a tight end that will remind Washington fans of Chris Cooley.

TCU offensive tackle Brandon Coleman started three seasons for the Horn Frogs and will have an opportunity to start at left tackle for the Commanders’ revamped offensive line. Christian McCaffrey’s younger brother, Luke, will be able to earn a slot-receiving role now that Curtis Samuel is out of town. He’ll compete with Olamide Zaccheaus and Jamison Crowder for that honor.

Washington also added two second and third-level defenders on day three and a developmental edge defender in Javontae Jean-Baptiste, who recorded 38 pressures for Notre Dame this past season. Hampton has good size and Magee has a more athletic type of build that’s ideal for sub-package play. He’ll have the opportunity to learn from one of the best to do it in Bobby Wagner.

There could be three true year-one-impact players on offense and two immediate impact defensive players that were selected in this draft for Dan Quinn. This draft will likely be judged by Daniels’ development, but it certainly looks solid.

Round 1, pick 2: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
Round 2, pick 36: Jer’Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois
Round 2, pick 50: Mike Sainristil, CB, Michigan
Round 2, pick 53: Ben Sinnott, TE, Kansas State
Round 3, pick 67: Brandon Coleman, OL, TCU
Round 3, pick 100: Luke McCaffrey, WR, Rice
Round 5, pick 139: Jordan Magee, LB, Temple
Round 5, pick 161: Dominique Hampton, S, Washington
Round 7, pick 222: Javontae Jean-Baptiste, edge, Notre Dame

My favorite Day 3 value: Jordan Magee, LB Temple

Magee is a physically dominant linebacker, but he has the range and explosiveness to cover the ground. Dan Quinn has done a good job molding late-round talents like Magee and Dominique Hampton, who is a hybrid SAF/LB with a cornerback background (Quinn will use him as well). Magee could be a bit more physical, but he should earn a role in Quinn’s sub-packages while being a core special teams player for Washington.