NFC East Roundup: Draft Day Trade Possibilities
Jerry Reese. (USA Today Sports)
Hope everyone’s weekend is going well. Here are a few links to keep you caught up with the Eagles’ division rivals as they put the finishing touches on free agency and prepare for the draft.
Matt Mosley of the Dallas Morning News explains what circumstances might lead to the Cowboys drafting a quarterback in this year’s first round.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sure has a funny way of showing how little interest he has in a quarterback in the first round. The organizations welcomed both Cal-Berkeley’s Jared Goff and Memphis’ Paxton Lynch to campus Thursday, along with Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa.
Some of this falls under the “due diligence” headline, but there are folks at Valley Ranch who will attempt to persuade Jerry to take Carson Wentz, Goff or Lynch in the first round. The Cowboys would not take Lynch at No. 4, but they would certainly entertain the idea of trading down to take him later in the first round.
Jerry continues to say that every decision will be made with Romo’s 4-5-year window in mind. But his actions suggest otherwise.
NFL.com’s Charley Casserly sees the Cowboys taking a risk on Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa with the fourth overall selection.
Most debatable pick in the top 10. They can try for QB later with a win-now philosophy.
As for the Gaints, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News examines the possibility of the Giants making a draft day move.
And I wouldn’t expect anything “crazy” in the draft either. I believe the last time the Giants traded their first-round pick was 2006, when they traded down and landed Mathias Kiwanuka. That was the year before [Jerry] Reese took over as GM. Given how valuable the 10th pick is, I would be absolutely stunned if Reese traded down in the draft.
As for trading up, that may be more likely but consider that Reese is a former scout who trusts the scouting process. They will likely have multiple options as the 10th pick approaches and he will believe that one of those will produce a great player. He seems unlikely to give up other picks to move up to get a player when he could keep his picks, stay where he is and still get a player he likes.
Chris Burke of SI.com thinks the Giants will go for Clemson pass rusher Shaq Lawson in the first round.
The Giants just spent approximately the GDP of a small island nation on their D-line in free agency. What’s another major investment? Lawson could contribute as a rookie, while refining his technique behind the likes of Olivier Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul. The payoff may come in 2018 or ’19 instead of 2016, but it should happen.
Liz Clarke of the Washington Post wonders if the Redskins will take a quarterback to develop at some point in the draft.
The Redskins still need a third quarterback as extra insurance. He need not be “game-ready,” as [Colt] McCoy proved himself to be in taking over for a struggling [Kirk] Cousins in October 2014. In fact, it would be better for the Redskins’ long-term health to add a young quarterback who could be developed slowly and get acclimated to [Jay] Gruden’s offense and the pace of the NFL games without the pressure of performing at once.
Cousins will turn 28 in August; McCoy turns 30 in September. The Redskins would be wise to stagger the age and maturation level of their quarterback corps so that all don’t age out or move on at once. That’s why taking a quarterback in the upcoming draft makes sense.
CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco, meanwhile, sees Washington trying to solidify their secondary with Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander.
Their corner position isn’t very good. Alexander would be a nice man-cover player to add to their defense.