Today’s Best Bets
Sam Choudhury
Our NFL Draft Wish List series continues with a fantasy football look at the always-exciting NFC East. This is often the most intriguing division in football, and that is especially true leading up to the draft.
By the time the NFL Draft starts April 27, we’ll have touched on every team around the league. Here’s the schedule for our Draft Wish List series:
- March 28: AFC East
- March 30: NFC East
- April 4: AFC North
- April 6: NFC North
- April 11: AFC South
- April 13: NFC South
- April 18: AFC West
- April 20: NFC West
2023 NFL Draft Wish List: NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles
- First pick: 1st round, 10th overall
- Total first-rounders: 2
- Total selections: 6
What a year it was for the Eagles. They were a few plays away from a Super Bowl title and on top of being arguably the best team in the NFL last year, the Eagles also have two first-round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. A team that nearly won the Super Bowl certainly doesn’t have many holes in their roster, making this one of the more difficult teams to break down. Of course, from what we have seen from this organization over the years, we know they tend to prioritize both the offensive and defensive lines. The Eagles aren’t exactly young on either side of the ball, and although they brought back both Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox, both players are on one-year deals. If I had to guess, I’d say Howie Roseman and company go defensive line and 10th overall, especially after also bringing back both Darius Slay and James Bradberry to the secondary. In that range, they will likely be looking at Lukas Van Ness, a 6-foot-5, 276-pound edge with tremendous bend and pad level. He also has plenty of experience playing three-technique, which would give the Eagles even more versatility on the defensive line. They could also go offensive line, especially with Jason Kelce at 35, Lane Johnson at 32 and Isaac Seumalo no longer with the team. Peter Skoronski from Northwestern won’t wow you with his arm length, which could limit his playing time at tackle, but he could certainly slide in at guard if he has to.
With the Eagles having a loaded roster and two first-round selections this year, some believe they can afford somewhat of a luxury selection, which is why Bijan Robinson is a legitimate possibility. I don’t think I have to tell you how good Robinson is but if you want an idea, his career 39% forced missed tackle rate is tied with Javonte Williams for the highest mark since 2014. He has arguably the best vision I’ve ever seen from a running back out of college and behind that Eagles offensive line, Robinson could easily lead the NFL in rushing right out of the gate.
Finally, look for the Eagles to address slot receiver and safety at other points of the draft. They have one of the best duos in the league in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, but they could use more production from the slot position. Last season, Quez Watkins lined up from the slot 75.5% of the time, mainly running vertical routes. In rounds two or three, the Eagles should consider a player like Tank Dell, who has tremendous change of direction ability and although his release is arguably the best in this class, you wouldn’t have to worry about him seeing a ton of press coverage at his size if he plays out of the slot alongside Brown and Smith. And iof they wait a bit longer to address the position, Parker Washington would be an ideal fit. He has strong, reliable hands, is very comfortable in the middle of the field and turns into a running back after the catch.
Dallas Cowboys
- First pick: 1st round, 26th overall
- Total first-rounders: 1
- Total selections: 7
I know, I know. Everyone wants the Cowboys to draft Bijan Robinson in the first round. And honestly, I think it is absolutely in play if he is on the board at 26th overall. Tony Pollard is amazing. but the Cowboys have stated they want to add a second running back with more size after moving on from Ezekiel Elliott. Dallas will certainly address the running back position at some point during the draft and if it isn’t Robinson on Day One, it could be UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet in the second or third round. At 6-0 and 215 pounds, Charbonnet has good size and can break a ton of tackles, making him a perfect complement to Pollard.
Outside of the running back position, Dallas should be looking at the interior of the defensive line. Mazi Smith and Keeanu Benton make a ton of sense for this team. Smith has incredible strength and could really help a Dallas run defense that was vulnerable at times this past season. 13.3% of the runs against the Cowboys last season gained 10 or more yards, the eighth-highest rate in the NFL.
New York Giants
- First Pick: 1st round, 25th overall
- Total first-rounders: 1
- Total selections: 10
In his first season as head coach, Brian Daboll led the Giants to a playoff berth and road victory. It was a very successful season for the Giants, who are looking to improve even more in 2023. As everyone knows, addressing the wide receiver position is something this team continues to do. During the offseason, they have essentially guaranteed that they will have the best slot receivers in football, re-signing Sterling Shepard, while adding Parris Campbell and Jamison Crowder to a team that also already has Wan’Dale Robinson. They also traded for Darren Waller. Isaiah Hodgins had a mini breakout last year, but this team is still looking for a potential WR1, which puts them in play to go wideout with their first pick of the draft. I like the idea of Jordan Addison in this offense. He thrived in two different offenses in college and this past season at USC, Addison played a career-high 253 snaps out wide. Addison is arguably the best route-running wideout in this class, particularly at all three levels of the field. Hopefully this trend of fading dropped passes continues, as Addison dropped eight passes in 2021 but only two last season.
The Giants also must absolutely address the center position at some point during draft weekend. As of right now, the only center on their roster is Ben Bredesson, so barring any changes, I’d almost guarantee they draft a center in the second round. If that is the case, they would be looking at Luke Wypler from Ohio State or John Michael Schmitz from Minnesota. In nearly 500 pass-blocking snaps last season, Wypler allowed just one sack and seven quarterback hurries. Later on in the draft, the Giants should continue to add to their secondary because when they were dealing with injuries last year, the defense fell apart. I really like Clark Phillips III out of Utah. He reads the quarterback’s eyes at a very high level and has really strong change of direction ability with tremendous hip fluidity. Given how instinctive and fundamentally sound he is, Phillips is one of my favorite defensive backs in this entire class. In 12 games last year, Phillips had six interceptions and allowed just a 68.4 passer rating in coverage.
Washington Commanders
- First pick: 1st round, 16th overall
- Total first-rounders: 1
- Total selections: 8
The Commanders are trying to catch up to the rest of the NFC East, and while it may be difficult, putting together a strong draft would be a great start. This team could go multiple directions in the opening round of the draft, including guard, defensive back, tight end or center. With a strong wide receiver trio of Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel, the Commanders definitely have playmakers on offense. But you can always have more, which makes tight end Dalton Kincaid a viable target at 16th overall. Kincaid has crazy athleticism at the tight end position and if you draft Kincaid, you aren’t asking him to block. At 6-3, 254, he moves like a wide receiver and can make plays deep down the field. This past season at Utah, Kincaid had the third-most deep receptions among all tight ends, while his 187 deep yards ranked sixth. He is also strong after the catch, ranking third in the nation in missed tackles forced with 16. Kincaid would give Washington their first legitimate playmaking tight end since Jordan Reed.
If they look elsewhere in Round 1, Washington could go with either Joey Porter Jr. or Deonte Banks in the secondary. Banks had a phenomenal combine, running a 4.35 40-yard dash, while also posting a broad jump of 11’4”. Banks has good size and length in coverage but is also outstanding when it comes to coming up and making tackles. Finally, just like the Giants, Washington has to add more to the interior offensive line in this draft, whether it be guard or center. If Steve Avila from TCU is available at 47th overall, Washington should absolutely sprint up to the podium. Avila is incredibly experienced and can play both guard and center at the next level.
