NFL Draft Aftermath: IDP Winners and Losers from the NFC East

The Giants, Cowboys, Eagles, and Redskins finished 2nd, 5th, 12th, and 19th, respectively, in points allowed last season. These four teams went into the 2017 draft looking to increase their stopping power even further, selecting 21 defenders with their 34 combined picks.

This influx of talent will have a definitive ripple effect on the division, as 10 of these 21 defenders were “blue chip” players, taken in the top-100. In fact, New York is the only team in the division who didn’t commit all three of their top-100 picks to their defense.

This ripple effect will also impact your dynasty rosters. When teams select players in the top-100, they expect a return on investment sooner, rather than later. Some of the veterans who were contributors to your teams last year may find themselves in a timeshare, or worse, out of a job this season. Let’s run through the rosters of these four franchises and find out whose IDP fortunes could be changing.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins had the best draft in the division, landing three potential starters with their first three picks. They paid extra attention to their secondary, picking up two cornerbacks, and a pair of safeties with hybrid potential. Yet, Washington’s biggest prize was acquiring a player many suspected would be taken in the top-5, without having to move from their original draft slot, at pick 17.

1.17 – Jonathan Allen – DT, Alabama

2.17 – Ryan Anderson – OLB, Alabama

3.17 – Fabian Moreau – CB, UCLA

4.17 – Montae Nicholson – S, Michigan State

7.12 – Josh Harvey-Clemons – S, Louisville

7.17 – Joshua Holsey – CB, Auburn

Winners – Ryan Kerrigan

Losers – Preston Smith and Trent Murphy, OLBs, Redskins

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The Redskins struck gold, landing defensive end Jonathan Allen at 1.17. Allen’s history of shoulder issues caused him to slide outside of the top five, where most expected he’d be drafted. Even if Allen himself isn’t a huge a IDP contributor, as a five-technique in Washington’s 3-4, his presence should have a positive impact on the Redskins’ pass rush, as a whole.

Allen’s ability to occupy blockers will help free-up Ryan Kerrigan, Trent Murphy, Preston Smith, and the newly acquired Ryan Anderson, in what is suddenly one of the deepest groups of pass rushing outside linebackers in the NFL. Allen can slide inside to tackle when the Skins employ their NASCAR package on passing downs, with two of those OLBs coming down to play DE. The additions of Allen and Anderson can’t be viewed as anything but positive for the Washington pass rush.

Individually, however, Smith, in his third season, may be looking at a decrease in playing time. He logged 768 snaps last year, (70%) which was the fourth most of any Redskins’ linebacker. Smith produced five sacks in that time, three fewer than his rookie year total of eight. Murphy actually out-produced Smith in slightly fewer snaps, with nine sacks in 828 plays — a career high for the fourth-year pro. Yet, both of these players could see their field time shrink with Anderson’s addition.

If Trent Murphy hadn’t beaten the RT so quickly, Preston Smith & Ryan Kerrigan were next in line for sack. Good stunt from those 2 #Redskins pic.twitter.com/EElEyuN5oQ

— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) December 7, 2016

Smith has two seasons remaining on his rookie contract, while Murphy (who’ll start the season serving a four-game suspension for PED use), is in the final year of his rookie deal. Anderson and Allen’s additions to the lineup are sure to have a positive effect on the defense as a whole, but for Murphy and Smith, there will be a battle for playing time making it difficult to pinpoint if either of them will be consistent enough IDP producers to enter into your starting lineup weekly.

Kerrigan has been the team’s best pass rusher, averaging 9.75 sacks a season over his six-year career. Aside from his hefty cap hit, ($11.7 million in 2017,) there’s no reason to believe he won’t continue taking down quarterbacks at this steady rate.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Birds fortified their pass rush and secondary early in this year’s draft. They chose to make a long term investment in an elite cornerback prospect, in hopes he can return from an unfortunate Achilles tear. Philadelphia may also have snagged a sleeper for the interior of their defensive line in the draft’s final round.

1.14 – Derek Barnett – DE, Tennessee

2.11 – Sidney Jones – CB, Washington

3.35* – Rasul Douglas – CB, West Virginia

5.41* –  Nathan Gerry – S, Nebraska

6.31 –  Elijah Qualls – DT, Washington

*denotes compensatory pick

Winners – Fletcher Cox

Losers – Vinny Curry

Cox gets a “W” here, because of the confluence of events which have taken place this off-season. First, there’s the additions to the defensive line, namely — Tim Jernigan, Chris Long, and Derrick Barnett. Jernigan is a better pass rusher than Cox’s former partner on the interior, Bennie Logan. Long is a true defensive end, unlike Connor Barwin, who was a very good linebacker trying to adapt to life with his hand in the dirt full-time.

Barnett could wind up unlocking the potential of this entire unit with his ability as a pass rusher. Simply put, the Eagles’ defensive line now has multiple players who can take advantage of the double-teams Cox frequently attracts. If offenses are forced to pay extra attention to one of these other pass rushers, life should only get easier for Cox.

The second reason things should get easier for the entire defensive line lies with the upgrades the Eagles have made at cornerback. Sidney Jones may not play this season, while he recovers from an Achilles rupture, but in time, he will. Combined with Rasul Douglas and Jalen Mills, the Eagles may now be able to offer their defensive line a few precious fractions of a second longer in coverage, allowing the pass rush more time to get home. Everything the team has done this offseason should indirectly help Cox become a better interior pass rusher. And for a player who finished as DL27 in an admittedly down year, that is an interesting proposition.

As for Vinny Curry, it was recently revealed that he played the 2016 season with an MCL sprain which limited his ability to contribute. If this ailment is to blame for Curry’s disappointing output last season, he too could benefit from the influx of talent around him. Yet, the Barnett pick will directly eat into Curry’s snap.

Ha, I don’t think Willson was supposed to push the d-lineman past Fant. 3 guys were assigned to block Vinny Curry and he still got a sack pic.twitter.com/HHS2HnAjky

— Ben B (@guga31bb) November 22, 2016

Prior to the draft, he was slated to be the team’s starting right DE, opposite Brandon Graham. While that may still be the case, eventually Barnett is going to get his reps. Curry had an encouraging 2014 season, racking up nine sacks in only 371 snaps. Curry has totaled just six sacks in the two seasons since that would-be breakout campaign. With a salary set to escalate upwards of $11 million in 2018, it’s time for Curry’s production to match his lofty price tag, before he winds up a salary cap casualty.

New York Giants

One of the most surprising storylines of 2016, was the emergence of the Giants’ defense as one of the league’s elite units. Led by a revamped pass rush and upgraded cornerback play, New York’s defense carried the team’s struggling offense into the postseason. With all of their key members returning for 2017, “Big Blue” looks to continue its stellar performance from last season. Yet, without making many major personnel additions, there may be a risk of regression.

2.23 – Dalvin Tomlinson – DT, Alabama

5.23 – Avery Moss – DE, Youngstown State

Winner – Darian Thomason, FS

Loser – Anyone looking to own a Giants’ linebacker

Thompson’s rookie season was washed out due to a foot injury. The “yin” to Landon Collins “yang”, Thompson was slated to handle the deep safety responsibilities and thrive in coverage, while Collins took care of the underneath work and excelled in the box. Collins more than held his end of the bargain, nearly winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Luckily for Thompson, the Giants kept their faith in his ability and avoided the urge to draft another cover safety to compete with him in year two. He’ll, again, have an opportunity to lockdown the starting free safety job this summer and could be one of the surprise comeback players of the season, especially if the Giants’ pass rush is as effective as it was in 2016.

As for New York’s linebacking corps, the unit’s top IDP finisher last season was Jonathan Casillas, who landed at LB45. Collins actually led the Giants with 100 solo tackles from his safety post — nearly doubling Casillas’ total of 59, which placed him second on the team. New York made no major additions to the LB unit in the draft. B.J. Goodson will get a crack at assuming the MLB job in camp, which gives us at least one potential breakout candidate, yet the cupboard is rather bare otherwise.

 

Cpt of @Giants D @jcasillas52 clutched this critical 4th&1 utilizing good instincts, quickness, & balance to deflect cut & stay square for pic.twitter.com/7DM5VsUdip

— Sean Nazar (@nflcoastie) April 22, 2017

Calvin Munson is a undrafted free agent OLB, who’s currently listed behind Goodson at MLB on the depth chart. He’s a name to keep an eye on, though a more likely special teamer than defensive contributor, early on. Even Casillas will have to battle Devon Kennard and Keenan Robinson to keep his job, leaving no definitive indication what this starting unit will look like come September.

Dallas Cowboys

After losing three-fourths of their starting secondary, the Cowboys had to make an aggressive move to replenish the backend of their defense. They grabbed two corners early in this year’s draft, along with one of the class’s top pass rushing prospects, in an effort to help their defense keep pace with their soon-to-be high-flying offense.

1.28 – Taco Charlton – DE, Michigan

2.28 – Chidobe Awuzie – CB, Colorado

3.28 – Jourdan Lewis – CB, Michigan

6.07 – Xavier Woods – S,Louisiana Tech

6.33* – Marquez White – CB, Florida State

7.10 – Joey Ivie – DT, Florida

7.28 – Jordan Carrell  – DT, Colorado

Winners – Damien Wilson, SAM LB

Losers – Nolan Carroll, CB

Damien Wilson was thought to be a potential sleeper at OLB for the Cowboys entering last season. He saw just five starts at SAM in Dallas’ base 4-3, but that could change this fall. With Dallas focussing on the secondary and defensive line in the draft, they never brought in a player to challenge Wilson’s position on the depth chart, which is a positive sign for the third-year pro.

Wilson has been impressive in OTAs this spring, showing strong closing speed and out-hustling teammates to the football. While Sean Lee sits for precautionary reasons, Wilson has even gotten a chance to play in the first-team Nickel package. His continued improvement could eventually lead to a larger role. Should Lee go down, which is always a possibility with the veteran, Wilson’s number will get called — moving him from a part-time contributor in the team’s base defense, to a full-time producer and IDP target.

Carroll looked to have a shot at a starting role upon his signing, in March. Following the selection of Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis, that opportunity may have dried up. In May, Carroll was arrested for driving under the influence, placing himself in jeopardy of a league-mandated suspension this fall. Nothing good has happened to Carroll since joining the Cowboys.

Season PFF grades for new Cowboys CB Nolan Carroll. pic.twitter.com/ysG86YAwEc

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) March 11, 2017

He played his best football as a “dime linebacker” under Chip Kelly and Billy Davis, with the Eagles, in 2013. As a starter at outside corner, Carroll is a coverage liability, which can translate to IDP production, with targets turning into tackles. As it stands, Carroll may start out atop the Cowboys depth chart, but as Lewis and Awuzie get acclimated to the pro game, expect him to settle into a reserve role, rather quickly.

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