NFL Draft Aftermath: Winners and Losers from the NFC East

Mo Brewington Posted On May 31, 2017

The NFC East was one of the stronger divisions in football, from top to bottom, in 2016. The Giants, Cowboys, Redskins, and Eagles combined to win more games than any other division in the NFL. The teams set out to fill the holes on their rosters in this year’s draft, but the offensive players they came away with are more likely to serve as depth behind their more established teammates early on.

Much more information will come out in the following weeks, as these teams kick-off their off-season programs, but for now, we have a pretty good idea how the depth chart battles could shape-up. So let’s take a look at the incoming class of rookies, and see which veterans could benefit or suffer as a result of the changing landscape.

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Philadelphia Eagles

Mack Hollins, WR North Carolina Round 4, Pick 12 (No. 112)

Donnel Pumphrey, RB San Diego State Round 4, Pick 26 (No. 132)

Shelton Gibson, WR West Virginia Round 5, Pick 22 (No. 166)

Washington Redskins

Samaje Perine, RB Oklahoma Round 4, Pick 7 (No. 114)

Jeremy Sprinkle, TE Arkansas Round 5, Pick 10 (No. 154)

Robert Davis, WR Georgia State Round 6, Pick 25 (No. 209)

New York Giants

Evan Engram, TE Mississippi Round 1, Pick 23 (No. 23)

Davis Webb, QB California Round 3, Pick 23 (No. 87)

Wayne Gallman, RB Clemson Round 4, Pick 24, (No. 140)

Dallas Cowboys

Ryan Switzer, WR North Carolina Round 4, Pick 27 (No. 133)

Noah Brown, WR Ohio State Round 7, Pick 21 (No. 239)

Winners

Ezekiel Elliott, RB DAL

The Cowboys could have drafted a running back within the first 150 picks to help shoulder the load and keep their prize possession fresh this season. They didn’t. What this means for Elliott and his owners is the kid will continue to get fed and produce. Neither Alfred Morris or Darren McFadden saw more than 70 carries in 2016, and neither guy averaged over 3.6 yards per attempt. Elliott is the show. Expect them to run him like crazy until he shows signs of wear, which at 21-years-old, may be a while.

Chris Thompson, RB WAS

Thompson wins because the running back the Redskins picked up is a decent pass catcher, not a great one. Samaje Perine should beat out Rob Kelley and Matt Jones for the lead back duties in D.C. This leaves Thompson as the team’s unquestioned third-down back, a role which earned him an RB28 standing in PPR leagues, last season.

With the loss of DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garçon, Thompson’s familiarity with Kirk Cousins could lead to an increased share of the passing game work. He also averaged 5.2 ypc last season on the ground, making Thompson an undervalued RB2/3, who can give you good weeks at a dirt-cheap ADP. He’s currently listed at RB69. Again, he finished at RB28. This is easy math.

Carson Wentz, QB PHI

Wentz is a divisive prospect, who received a great deal of criticism for his mechanical flaws in year-one. Yet, there’s not enough appreciation for exactly how poor the supporting cast around him performed in 2016. The Eagles had a roster full of role players, absent a true difference maker on offense. Jordan Matthews struggled with injuries and drops, while Zach Ertz needed almost ten weeks to get on the same page as his rookie QB. Nelson Agholor and Dorial Green-Beckham never came to play last season, and Ryan Mathews, who produced when healthy, was, per usual, never healthy.

In 2016, Wentz will have a healthy Jordan Matthews, and a built-in rapport with Ertz. Rookies Mack Hollins and Shelton Gibson will provide depth in four-receiver sets. Hollins is likely to be a core special teamer, a role which guarantees his addition to the 46-man gameday roster each week. Meanwhile, reports out of OTAs tell us Agholor is playing with renewed enthusiasm and focus.

Wentz will also have the benefit of playing with Alshon Jeffery, the type of physical playmaker the Eagles haven’t had in the passing game since Terrell Owens left the team, last decade. Throw in LeGarrette Blount to help extend drives by converting short-yardage, while Darren Sproles mentors Pumphrey to takeover his role, and suddenly, Wentz has no reason not to improve upon his freshman campaign in 2017.

Eli Manning, QB NYG

Like Wentz, Manning was gifted an improved set of weapons in the passing game. Brandon Marshall is just the type of security blanket Manning has thrived with, in years past. Evan Engram arguably performs a similar function, but having too many huge targets who can outmuscle defenders for the football isn’t a problem. While Engram may not be the prototypical tight end, it’s difficult to believe head coach Ben MacAdoo, (who earned his stripes as a tight end’s coach,) is going to struggle to find ways to keep the rookie involved in the offense.

In reality, Engram owners should hope he’s never asked to assume the duties of a traditional tight end. It’s learning these blocking schemes which makes the position the second most difficult — behind quarterback — for young players to master, and keeps rookies tight ends from being fantasy producers in year-one. With a full compliment of weapons at his disposal, Manning has very little reason not to challenge for QB1 status, this fall.

Losers

Paul Perkins, RB NYG

Wayne Gallman is not a dynamic runner or receiver. Any thought that he might come into to camp and establish himself as the Giants clear-cut RB1 should be tempered. Perkins had his struggles in pass protection as a rookie, which is the only reason he didn’t approach 200 carries for the Giants. Toward the end of the year, he was given a chance to shoulder a heavier load, and fared well, averaging 4.8 ypc over the final three weeks.

But Perkins never established himself in the passing game. Now, he’ll have to deal with the return of Shane Vereen from a triceps injury. Vereen will get the lion’s share of the passing down work, and Gallman will muddy the running game just enough to make Perkins a frustrating player to own. Perkins needs to separate himself in training camp, or he may not be worth the trouble of rostering this fall.

Terrance Williams, WR DAL

Through his first four pro seasons, Williams has failed to reach the next plateau in his development. He’s had opportunities to be the Cowboys’ top option while Dez Bryant has dealt with injuries, and Williams has been consistently underwhelming. He has just two 100-yard efforts in 64 career games. His scoring has topped out at WR44 in 2015. There’s always a chance he could generate a breakout season in the near-future, but this year’s draft class didn’t help his cause.

The selection of Ryan Switzer may not seem like a direct threat to Williams, as Switzer is built for a role in the slot, and appears destined to contend with Cole Beasley for reps. However, the Switzer pick could also signal the Cowboys’ desire to field an offense more akin to New England’s, giving Dak Prescott a pair of shifty underneath wideouts who can get open quickly and help the QB keep the football moving downfield, without dealing with the dangers of the pass rush.

Such a philosophy leaves Williams — a receiver who needs more time to develop his bread-and-butter routes — out in the cold. Throw in the selection of Noah Brown, a devastating downfield blocker who could do a lot to benefit Elliott and the running game, and it’s possible Williams’ role with the team could begin to shrink over time.

Will Tye, TE NYG

Some have speculated that Tye’s role with the Giants is safe due to the fact he’s better suited to serve as a blocking tight end than the rookie Evan Engram. While this may be true, the difference in their blocking skill isn’t so stark that Tye will earn all of the 11 personnel work. Engram is a functional blocker, not a dominate one. A scenario which hasn’t been examined closely enough is the probability that New York opts to do more of their running out of shotgun formations, in 10 personnel, with Engram flexed out-wide.

This provides the Giants with a much more dynamic personnel grouping on the field, and plays into the strengths of their running backs, each of whom is accustomed to running from shotgun. The object of the running game isn’t always to dominate the man in front of you. Gaining a strategic advantage with spacing can be equally effective. Ultimately, Engram is a far more dangerous player with the football in his hands than Tye. As the rookie becomes acclimated to the pro game, look for Tye to become acclimated to special teams.

Wendell Smallwood, RB PHI

Smallwood was almost there. The Eagles exited the draft without selecting a conventional three-down running back. It looked as if they’d enter training camp with Smallwood as the player best-suited to handle their short-yardage needs. In the worst case-scenario, he’d have to beat-out Corey Clement to earn the right to be the Eagles’ big(ish) back. Then they signed LeGarrette Blount, and now, Smallwood may have to beat out Clement for a roster spot.

Although Smallwood showed well in spots during 2016, he was an incredibly ineffective runner overall. Of the eight games in which he received more than two carries, he averaged less than 4 yards per attempt five times. With a better understanding of the system, and an off-season in the weightroom, it’s possible he could have gained some footing in 2017. With Blount now taking a share of the work he would have seen, Smallwood will need to have a strong training camp, plus catch a break with an injury to Blount or Sproles to have a fantasy-relevant role this season.

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