division by far in football, still not great, but they sent
two teams to the playoffs in 2021. Let's take a look at
their draft needs and let's start with the defending
Champion. Dallas Cowboys, even
though the sheet says Giants, I want to start with the Cowboys
because they're the defending Champions. It's one of
the spoils of winning the division. The Dallas Cowboys who hold
the 24th overall pick in the draft and have nine total selections.
They cannot leave the upcoming process without addressing. What
I think, they're back in the, we need to replenish
the offense of line mode in my, I think it's pretty obvious.
Really. I mean, yes, pass rusher,
another one. You talked about, right?
I mean, certainly, and we lost, Randy Gregory. There's some
other. You know, they can't make a Parsons, doesn't sound
like, they're gonna play him a d-end all the time. But the old
line is what I look at the o line is what we talked about
the most last year. Remember Mike,
we talked about it a lot.
Not people were still acting like this was just some great
offensive line. I kept going. No, they can't run the ball.
And now they're kind of basic pass offense isn't as good
because
nobody scared to the run,
you know, Zack Martin still awesome,
you know, Lyle Collins, not their Center play, not very good
left guard, play not very good. Tyrone Smith, good still,
but I saw some droppage last year
so that to me would be the number-one spot when you look
at the cowboys that I think they got. Address for sure, you
know, somewhere in the first two or three rounds.
Yeah, I agree with you completely. The offensive line
was what fueled that team in 2016 when Ezekiel Elliott and
Dak Prescott were rookies. That was when that offensive line
was great. And it's just kind of
gradually, write it like an old bridge, right? Take that bridge
for granted until it starts falling apart and they got rid
of Lyle Collins. They weren't even able to trade him, he's
gone
and they've just had some shifts and adjustments on that
offensive line. And And, and I know it's never,
it's never sexy. When that first round pick is used on
an offensive lineman. And I remember when the Cowboys were
doing it, people were frustrated, like, when Zack
Martin was the pick
2014 when Johnny, Manziel was sliding and Jerry Jones wanted
him, and boy, it would have been great for that night, but
it would have been a disaster for the Dallas Cowboys. You
need that infrastructure of offensive lineman
to make your offense go. So,
I agree with you. They've got to address the offensive line.
I think with multiple pics and it also
Wouldn't heart to maybe
throw a dart at one of these receivers that slips through
rounds three or four. I know, they added James washing it,
but still a mark, Cooper's gone. They're going to have to
replace that production. But offensive line, I think really
is the most important for the Cowboys. Let's pivot to
your New York, Giants Og man. They've got two in the top
seven, four nine total picks. They picked up the extra
first-rounder last year when they
traded from 12 down to 20 and still took the guy they would
have taken it 12 because remember they had In jumped by
The Eagles for
Devante Smith. They want to get areas, Tony in that spot. If
you're what the hell will drop down to 20, will still get you.
There is Tony
and we'll pick up an extra first-round pick in
the process. So seriously, I mean on sarcastic. Yeah of clap.
Yeah for Dave Gelman. Yeah, that was great. Extra first
round pick. So they got five and seven in the top ten
nine total picks.
They cannot leave the draft without addressing. What? Yeah,
at 5:00 and 7:00 and their two biggest needs our offensive
line tackle, right? And pass rusher. And Sitting in
the prime spot for both of them and I'm really hope that
the two guys that the Giants want are there. But I would
think the old line is the number one thing. I'm going to
say, that's the, I mean, if there's the one need, we're
going to talk about. I mean,
we've beat this story to death.
This is why we're even talking about Daniel Jones, yesterday,
why you got to give him one more shot to see what he's got
with this coaching staff, and let's actually give them
a chance behind an offense of line,
you know, as we've discussed before the offensive line and
New York was not one of the worst or the top, you know,
bottom seven worse. It was the worst in football, the last
three years. It's not even close.
They can't even dream of running the ball. It's not even
a thing. And with the Giants, the last few years and the pass
game had to be altered to such an extent because they were so
bad that they had to be very limited
in that capacity to. So, old line
is a huge glaring, need for the New York Giants.
Yeah, I agree with you completely and that's easy
because the efforts to improve. Offensive line, that's what
got, they've got them in fight. That's what got him in trouble.
Right. Great move. Last year stockpiling. A first round.
Pick
now remains to be seen, what could areas Tony is going to be
kind of a disappointment looks good, though. He got hurt. He
had potential. Yeah, flashed potential life. But but
the offensive line
has just been a business
and that's where it begins and ends when the Giants won their
two, Super Bowls. And it seems like a lot longer ago than it
was, they had a great offensive line and a great defensive line
and
we get caught up in the sky.
Position players and the quarterbacks but
the foundation for a competitive team
not great off that. You just good to great offensive line
and great defensively. Yeah. So those are the two areas.
I think every team has to always be looking much upgrades and
offensive and defensive line. All right, the Washington
commanders who are hoping to put the dysfunction behind them
and embarked on a new beginning. With Carson Wentz.
They have the 11th overall pick
and six total selections.
They can't leave the 2022 draft without addressing. What Chris
There's a few things here with them.
You know, I don't see anything where I'm offensive line is
another one here. All right, I mean, I don't want I'm not
taking a cop out here, but they lost Brandon scherff. Yeah,
they got Andrew Norwell
and they got, you know, good tackles, but it's nothing
special.
So that's think it's on their radar. I'm not going to make
that the number one thing. I'm just throwing some things and
ideas out wide receiver may be on their
Horizon a little bit. Terry McLaren and that situation,
Curtis, Samuel hasn't been able to contribute
after signing as a free.
Free agent, you know, so there's not, there's a little
scare there. I think ultimately though Mike when I look at
their roster, more than anything.
I look at their safety position and go.
Whoa, they need one or two safeties in the draft here,
zat's to some extent,
so that that and where their draft in
first round 11, of course, you could get any safety you want.
I know some people think Kyle Hamilton the kid from Notre
Dame who I think is a special football player. He could be
right in that range, but even in the second round,
Know where they pick in there and I bet you know, I think
they're around 43 or 44. That'd be another spot where I think
they're still going to be some good safeties on the board.
I look at that as to be the like the one thing I look at to go.
Wow,
that's glaring. They don't have enough people and they don't
have enough Talent at that position and that's a pretty
important position this day and age in the NFL
and you got a defensive head coach, who's going to be keenly
aware. Yes, of the issues there. The McLaren angle
fascinates me. We talked yesterday about
the philosophical.
Divide in the NFL currently between paying our receiver and
taking what you can get from a team that is happy
to pay that receiver and backfilling with draft picks.
This regime did not draft, Terry, McLaren. Let's not
forget that this regime all got there after
McLaren was selected. So they're not going to feel that same
to the extent that there is that
ego connected to it. This is our guy we found in round 3,
we've developed him. We want to keep him. It's
Point of Pride for us.
Now, if they can flip a guy that they got in round 3 for
a first-round pick plus that's a win, especially if they're
confident. They can go out and find other guys. And then
the question becomes, if you don't have an elite quarterback,
are you paying Terry McLaren
money, that you're not really getting a return on because
you're not getting in the football, the way that you
could. Now, I don't want to rule out Carson Wentz. I'd I'm
not ready to say. He's going to be bad. But yeah, but one of
the top five guys in the NFL, right, so, why are we paying?
Him, why are we valuing him
McLaren the way that we would if we had Patrick Mahomes at
quarterback? Yeah. I know that's fair. Is that a fair
assessment? Definitely?
Yeah. We don't know what their thought is of Terry. Mikoyan.
He's really good.
He's on the cusp of
kind of superstardom.
He's not real big.
He's a speed guy.
I don't know if that fancies Ron Rivera in that regime
there, you know. Anyways, they've kind of always been
a team that's kind of like bigger receivers if you think about
what they had back in. Carolina and those days, it was along
those lines, but I
think he's a pretty special football player and you
certainly don't trade and, you know, McLaren away unless you
get something that, you know, knocks it out of the park as
far as what you want, but it's interesting and Mike. I just
want to make sure I
clarify something. I forgot they traded their 42nd pick to
Indianapolis and they swept swap second-round picks if you
remember. So they're going to be picking at 47 and the second
round, which there still should be. It's just some good
safeties in this draft. Mike, if they
want to go that route. Route for sure.
Here's the other angle to consider all McLaren. Yeah, he
may not want to be there, that could be true to he might be
going. Damn. Yeah, if he wants, if he wants out, that's
a factor because it apparently was a factor for Davante Adams,
in Green Bay
and it was a fact of retiree kill
in Kansas City. He's ready to move on
if maclaurins ready to move on. That's something that the
Washington commanders need to take. Seriously.
The Eagles. Can't leave the 2022 draft without addressing,
what, well, picks, 15, and 18 after some trading. That
happened with the Saints last week. I think defense. Line is
where I look at more than anything Fletcher Cox, right?
They released them and
did they bring them back for sure yet? And my guess is, they
did, right? They did. Okay. I got scared there for a second,
then
Javon Hargrave there, who's a hell of a football player,
but he's on the last year of his contract.
Right? We know the pass rushers are good. There's nothing
special there. I really look. At first off the Eagles just
broad scope something on the defensive side of the ball.
I think you could look at it as
best pyro available almost
Most defensive line,
you know, I don't think everything means that crazy linebacker
could be part of the conversation.
And then after that, I would even throw
Corner into the conversation to a degree there and in
Philadelphia. So they might be able to go to that route. But
I think the one thing I look at more than anything, especially
where they're sitting in the first round right, pick 15,
one of those. I could see one of those Georgia, D tackles
really, you know,
being being the catching there. I or one of the past.
Usher's. I could see it being one of those. I'm going to say
defense a line to be a little broader there. Mike. That's
what I'm going to go with.
Yeah. I mean, this is a team that is approaching things
differently. They're almost kind of like the Ravens of
the NFC. Their offense is becoming more run Centric, but
if you are considering
a jail and hurts
LED team into the future where you don't pay him a lot of
money and you can have other great players, elsewhere, you
can start cultivating some young talent that becomes guys
that you A big contract to in a few years if they develop and
pass. Rush is a
is a way to ultimately get yourself in a position where
you're paying a lot of money. If the guy ends up panning out,
so,
you know, they've got some flexibility with two picks
in the top 20. They had three they moved. One of them away to
next year and stockpiled, another pic. But
you know, they are just trying to vary systematically build
a team that's going to content. They're so different than they
were the year. They won the Super Bowl, but they're just
trying to
trying to take that next step. Whatever the next step.
They're not far off. So
right I mean, well, no not now
look at them. They got to the playoffs last year when we
expected nothing out of them know exactly right. And then,
you know, to your point like what you said, a few minutes
ago,
offensive line is dominant, right? So they got that aspect.
Even when we talking about with the needs on the defensive line,
you know, you look at their roster. Nothing's horrible, you
know, look at any one area and go. Oh, wow. I mean, it's
really a lot of just icing on the cake. I mean, they've done
a pretty good job. I Gotta Give how Heroes been a lot
of credit and they built the team the right in. They're
building a team. They're not just making it about star
players.
And I think that's what's cool.
And then you look about the pics. They got this year and
next year. Maybe Mike. Maybe you're onto something. Maybe
that's the way they're going to go here,
but they got a chance, really, to build their team from
the inside out and get back in the mix as one of the better teams
in football again.