2013 NFL Draft Winners and Losers: NFC East

Eric Hardter Posted On May 26, 2013

We bring our Premium members a team capsule for every team in the NFL every off-season. These quick snapshots in time give you a good assessment of where we feel the value of those players lies at the moment. Unfortunately, things change often in the NFL and in dynasty leagues. The biggest value rises or drops come as a result of the NFL Draft. Rather than leaving those capsules untouched until next year, we decided to go division-by-division with extended coverage of veteran winners and losers from the off-season. Many values have stayed the same, so an entire team capsule would be redundant. However, these articles will cover some key draft additions that have a huge impact in dynasty leagues one way or another.

We continue our journey through the NFL with the NFC East.

Philadelphia Eagles

Pick #4 – Lane Johnson, OT

Pick #35 – Zach Ertz, TE

Pick #67 – Bennie Logan, DT

Pick #98 – Matt Barkley, QB

Pick #136 – Earl Wolff, S

Pick #212 – Joe Kruger, DE

Pick #218 – Jordan Poyer, CB

Pick #239 – David King, DT

Winners

Michael Vick

Though the Eagles may have drafted their quarterback of the future in Matt Barkley, the fact they didn’t do it until the fourth round speaks volumes of their 2013 intentions. Passing over the likes of EJ Manuel, Geno Smith and Ryan Nassib (multiple times for the latter two) represents a strong likelihood that Vick will maintain the starting position for as long as he’s able. For a guy playing on a one-year “prove it” contract, what more could you ask for in terms of job security? Vick will also benefit from Philly’s first two picks: athletic tackle Lane Johnson and tight end Zach Ertz.

Bryce Brown

Already in his brief career, Brown has run the gamut from undrafted free agent to top-end spot starter to fumble-prone backup. With the arrival of Man of Mystery Chip Kelly, the expectations for Brown have risen once again. Though he remains unlikely to unseat LeSean McCoy as the starter, it’s notable the Eagles didn’t draft any competition for him. And no, I don’t worry about Felix Jones, either.

Losers

Brent Celek and James Casey

During his time at Oregon, Kelly saw quite a bit of Stanford’s Ertz – so much so that he spent an early second round pick on him, despite having two capable tight ends already on the roster. While anything is possible as Kelly attempts to reinvent the way NFL offenses are run, a plethora of three-tight end sets doesn’t seem overly probable. Though both veterans will be affected, Casey’s versatility (and new contract) should ensure he remains in the weekly game plan. Regardless, both should be downgraded on rankings sheets.

Nick Foles

Considering the Eagles’ implosion in 2012, the rookie Foles still had a relatively strong season and appeared poised to challenge Vick for the starting job under center. Unfortunately, with the drafting of Barkley, he may now find himself closer to third string than first string. Due to Vick’s extensive injury history, Foles could very well see game action in 2013, but Barkley’s arrival has officially put him on notice for the future.

Dallas Cowboys

Pick #31 – Travis Frederick, C

Pick #47 – Gavin Escobar, TE

Pick #74 – Terrance Williams, WR

Pick #80 – JJ Wilcox, S

Pick #114 – BW Webb, CB

Pick #151 – Joseph Randle, RB

Pick #185 – DeVonte Holloman, LB

Winners

Tony Romo

What do you get for the man who already has everything, including a beauty pageant wife and a fat new contract? For starters, the Cowboys solidified the interior of their offensive line with the addition of center Travis Frederick. Though Frederick was popularly viewed as a reach in round one, he filled a need and should still fix a big trouble spot. In rounds two and three, they added two pass catchers – “move” tight end Gavin Escobar and underrated receiver Terrance Williams. It seems like Romo’s only problem is he’s now out of excuses and must perform in 2013.

DeMarco Murray

After blistering the league to the tune of 5.8 yards per carry as a rookie, Murray tailed off in 2012. More importantly, he failed to maintain his health for the second year in a row, missing six games due to a foot injury. Despite these red flags, Dallas only drafted one running back, Joseph Randle, and that wasn’t until the fifth round. Much like with Darren McFadden in Oakland, the Cowboys are counting on a healthy Murray returning to his game breaking ways.

Losers

Miles Austin

Austin’s tumultuous off-season (including a contract restructuring and roster security issues) concluded with the selection of Williams, a big-bodied receiver with good speed. Though he didn’t miss a game in 2012, he was hampered by hamstring injuries all year long, and this type of damage is known to be recurrent. If Austin can’t stay on the field on 2013, he might find himself out of a job.

Dwayne Harris, Kevin Ogletree and Cole Beasley

Though this trio split slot duties in 2012, the three-wide sets in 2013 will likely consist of Austin, Williams and Dez Bryant. There just aren’t enough footballs to go around.

James Hanna and John Phillips

Starter Jason Witten is still playing at a high level, but he recently turned 31 and is likely due for a regression. The addition of Escobar muddies the waters in terms of his future replacement, once thought to be either Hanna or Phillips.

Lance Dunbar and Phillip Tanner

Team owner Jerry Jones is not a big believer in competition, virtually guaranteeing the backup job to Randle. Neither Dunbar nor Tanner had much value to begin with, and what little they had is now gone.

New York Giants

Pick #19 – Justin Pugh, OT

Pick #49 – Johnathan Hankins, DT

Pick #81 – Damontre Moore, DE

Pick #116 – Ryan Nassib, QB

Pick #152 – Cooper Taylor, S

Pick #225 – Eric Herman, OG

Pick #253 – Michael Cox, RB

Winners

Eli Manning

Due to injuries and poor play, 2012 was a comedy of errors for the Giants’ offense. One of the trouble spots was a leaky and aging offensive line. The addition of versatile first-rounder Justin Pugh adds an influx of youth and talent, and should give Manning more time to operate in the pocket.

David Wilson and Andre Brown

When New York gave Ahmad Bradshaw his walking papers, it was fair to wonder if they’d seek additional running back depth in the draft. By declining to select a single ball carrier, it seems likely Wilson and Brown will indeed be “running” the show in 2013.

Rueben Randle

Similar to Wilson and Brown, Randle is another beneficiary of the Giants’ skill-position draft inactivity. If teammate Victor Cruz’ contract dispute turns ugly, he could very well find himself playing starters’ reps in 2013. As it is, he’s a strong bet to play in all three-wide sets.

Losers

David Carr

Let’s face facts, Carr is irrelevant in fantasy football and wasn’t going to receive any meaningful playing time unless Manning got hurt. With the surprising selection of Ryan Nassib, there are now no guarantees he’ll even function as the team’s backup.

Washington Redskins

Pick #51 – David Amerson, CB

Pick #85 – Jordan Reed, TE

Pick #119 – Phillip Thomas, S

Pick #154 – Chris Thompson, RB

Pick #162 – Brandon Jenkins, LB

Pick #191 – Bacarri Rambo, S

Pick #228 – Jawan Jamison, RB

Winners

Leonard Hankerson

Pierre Garcon will remain the number one option in the passing game, but the depth chart behind him remains a giant question mark. Though Hankerson hasn’t proven much during his two years in the league, he trailed only Garcon and the aging Santana Moss in receiving yards in 2012. Since Washington neglected to draft any receivers, Hankerson appears the odds on favorite to run with the starters.

Kirk Cousins

The status of superstar quarterback Robert Griffin III’s knee reconstruction remains an enigma, so it’s very possible Cousins will be under center at the outset of the 2013 season. The Redskins appear comfortable with this proposition, neglecting to add competition via the draft or free agency.

Losers

Fred Davis, Logan Paulsen and Niles Paul

Though the comparison to Patriots’ star tight end (and fellow former Florida Gator) Aaron Hernandez is beyond overblown, incoming rookie Jordan Reed adds yet another body to an already crowded position. When fully healthy, Davis remains the favorite for the starting job, but is only playing on a one-year contract. Neither Paulsen nor Paul proved enough in 2012 for me to think the fickle Mike Shanahan would hesitate to replace them.

Evan Royster and Roy Helu

Speaking of getting replaced, if there’s one thing Shanahan knows best, it’s upheaval to his running back depth chart. Alfred Morris’ strong rookie season has him entrenched in the starting role, but the Redskins drafted two more ball carriers nonetheless. Shanahan seems particularly high on the undersized Chris Thompson, who could siphon away third-down duties as soon as next year. Once thought of as fantasy dark horses, Royster and Helu are now in a fight to retain any semblance of dynasty relevance.

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Eric Hardter

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

Eric is a Boston College chemistry grad school survivor with a minor in dynasty football. He prefers to utilize both statistics and sarcasm whenever possible, believes in process over results and thinks "Hot Takes" are the scourge of the fantasy landscape.