With the 2023 NFL Draft behind us, we break down every team’s draft picks over the 3 day event, giving player projections and opinions on team fits as we go division by division through the NFL.
Next up, the ever fluctuating NFC East.
Dallas Cowboys
1(26) DT Mazi Smith, Michigan
2(58) TE Luke Schoonmaker, Michigan
3(90) LB DeMarvion Overshown, Texas
4(129) DE Viliami Fehoko, San Jose St
5(169) OT Asmin Richards, North Carolina
6(178) CB Eric Scott JR, Southern Miss
6(212) RB Deuce Vaughn, Kansas St
7(244) WR Jalen Brooks, South Carolina
Dallas had to adjust their draft strategy after Dalton Kincaid was scooped up by Buffalo, who was predicted by everyone covering the NFL to be Dallas’s primary target. They opted to use their first round pick on DT Mazi Smith, which frankly was a reach in round 1.
Smith is super athletic and tested top of his class at the combine but the game tape doesn’t match up to those scores. His motor seems to run out of gas far too often, and he hasn’t shown much that would lead you to believe he can be trusted on passing downs. That isn’t to say he can’t become a productive NFL player, but there was better value to be had in the 1st round. He’ll need to become a more consistent performer to properly utilize his unique blend of size and quickness. He has some exciting upside if he can put it all together, but there were probably better options available to the Cowboys at that position.
TE Luke Schoonmaker at 58th was a strange pick as well, as there were better tight end options still on the board. Schoonmaker has tremendous size, but is coming off of a pair of shoulder injuries. While being a solid route runner and a willing blocker, he doesn’t project to be much more than a TE2 or 3. If he can build up his strength and learn how to attack the ball as opposed to letting it come to him, then perhaps he can be a valuable asset, but right now this seems like a low ceiling type pick by the Cowboys.
Dallas then used their 2nd day 2 pick on linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, and while they’ve had success at developing players at the position in the past, Overshown projects to be a situational player who contributes on special teams. He switched from safety to linebacker in 2020, and has slowly but surely improved his footwork and play recognition over his collegiate career. He needs to build up his strength if he wants to play full time as a linebacker in the NFL, as he struggles getting by blockers and doesn’t make much of an impact in the run game. He has great instincts when it comes to rushing the passer, so there’s potential for him to hold onto a roster position, but odds are against him making a major impact, at least for his first few seasons.
The Cowboys will have to decide how to best use 4th round pick Viliami Fehoko. He racked up 44 tackles for loss and 22 sacks over the past 3 seasons, has a nose for the ball and uses a nasty spin counter that worked well for him in college. There are questions as to whether his skills will translate to the NFL, and whether he should add weight to become a hybrid end/tackle in a 3-4 defense.
OT Asmin Richards was an excellent pick in the 5th round, and should immediately step into a swing tackle/guard role this season. The former basketball player moves well and plays with outstanding strength that helps him lock down defenders. He’s able to clear space when he’s centered on opponents, but will have to continue to work on his body control and hand consistency. His positional versatility will all but guarantee him a roster spot with the potential to develop into a low end starter.
Eric Scott Jr. could have been had as an UDFA signing. His size and explosiveness jump out, but his lack of agility and inability to stick to receivers in man coverage are a major concern. He may be able to make it in a zone-heavy role, as he seeks out opportunities to make plays, but he needs to address many aspects of his game to make the roster.
Taking Deuce Vaughn in the 6th round was one of the most heart warming stories throughout the entire draft. In case you missed it, Chris Vaughn is the assistant director of college scouting for the Cowboys, and the moment where he was able to make the call to his son to ask him if he wanted to come work with him next week reminds us all that there is more going on behind the scenes than we realize. On the field, Deuce brings an impressive skill set as both a runner and pass catcher. He was only available this late in the draft due to his size, standing only 5’5” and weighing 179 lbs, but so far in his career he has shown durability, versatility and a high level of production. He sees the field clearly and is fearless between the tackles, so if his frame can hold up to the rigors of an NFL season, he can become a perfect complimentary back. This pick is an all around win for the organization.
WR Jalen Brooks is an absolute flier in the 7th round. He has favorable size and strength and strong hands but only recorded 2 touchdowns in 24 games in his college career. He missed several games during his college tenure, so there may be some untapped potential there.
Overall, the Cowboys had a rough draft. They grabbed some guys that have potential, but for a team that is constantly in win now mode, they didn’t walk away with many players that will make an impact for them this coming season.
New York Giants:
1(24) CB Deonte Banks, Maryland
2(57) C John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota
3(73) WR Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee
5(172) RB Eric Gray, Oklahoma
6(209) CB Tre Hawkins III, Old Dominion
7(243) DT Jordon Riley, Oregon
7(254) S Gervarrius Owens, Houston
It’s amazing what a change in leadership can do for a team’s draft. The Giants draft is filled with high value picks, and some day 1 starters at key positions.
They moved up one spot to secure CB Deonte Banks, who’s a supremely athletic cover man that fills a major need at corner. He’s missed all but 2 games after shoulder surgery in 2021, but put together an impressive 2022 season and his athletic testing at the combine ranked #1 overall amongst cornerbacks. With the right coaching, Banks can work his way into being an elite shutdown corner. He needs to work on his awareness and route anticipation, but for someone as gifted athletically as Banks, he’s probably coasted by thus far in his career on his natural abilities, so it will be interesting to see what he can become with more advanced coaching while being tested at the next level.
C John Michael Schmitz should have been long gone by the time the Giants were on the clock at 57, but they won’t be complaining after drafting the physical center who will be a day 1 starter and a key building block on the offensive line. In a division where the Eagles, Cowboys and Commanders are building their defensive lines to be their strengths, having an experienced (36 starts in college) aggressive center who can also pull in zone schemes and sweep runs is such a valuable asset to have. Schmitz allowed just 2 sacks and 3 quarterback hits over the past 3 seasons and was PFF’s highest graded center entering the draft.
The Giants then addressed their wide receiver room, taking downfield burner Jalin Hyatt in the 3rd round. Hyatt finished last season with 15 touchdowns and a ridiculous 18.9 yards per catch, while operating from the slot creating nightmare mismatches on every snap. Hyatt is unrefined and raw, but his natural athletic ability will help him transition into the NFL while he works on fine tuning his game.
RB Eric Gray is the perfect compliment to Saquon Barkley. He’s a well rounded back, who makes decisive cuts and can run effective routes out of the backfield. He isn’t a home run hitter, but he can lighten the load for Barkely without the Giants offense suffering.
Tre Hawkins will be a project, to put it politely. He has the size, length and long speed needed to play corner, but lacks awareness and ball skills to actually put his athletic talents to good use. He’s given up too many touchdowns during his college career, and will need some serious work to become more than a practice squad player.
DT Jordon Riley will become a nice rotational nose tackle simply due to how tall, wide and proportionally framed he is. At 6’5” and 338 lbs, Riley is capable of taking on double teams and absorbing contact. He will likely spend his career as a block eater, ensuring that pass rushers have one on one matchups, which isn’t a bad pick to make in the 7th round.
S Gervarrius Owens is another excellent 7th round pick for the Giants. He has a background as a cornerback, has all the physical ingredients to play safety in the NFL, but needs to improve his field vision and instincts to become a consistent playmaker. As a team captain and 4 year starter at Houston, he clearly has the locker room presence any organization would love to have.
After making the playoffs in 2022, the Giants have set themselves up for even more success in 2023 – which is crucial considering how tough the division is.
Jalin Hyatt was asked 4 times (including three straight questions at one point) about his route tree and coming from Tennessee’s offense during his media session after the Giants’ rookie minicamp this weekend pic.twitter.com/JXmJ8CyGsB
— zach ragan (@zachtnt) May 8, 2023
Philadelphia Eagles
1(9) DT Jalen Carter, Georgia
1(30) LB Nolan Smith, Georgia
3(65) OT Tyler Steen, Alabama
3(66) S Sydney Brown, Illinois
4(105) CB Kelee Ringo, Georgia
6(188) QB Tanner McKee, Stanford
7(249) DE Moro Ojomo, Texas
For a team that entered the draft with very few holes, the Eagles were able to take the best player available approach. It just so happens that most of those players available fit exactly into how the Eagles run their franchise.
Jalen Carter has the on field talent to be the best player coming out of the entire draft, but off field concerns had him slip to #9 where the Eagles moved up to take the talented defensive lineman. With their veteran defensive core led by Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham returning for another season, Carter will be put into a position where he has the proper guidance to get his NFL career off on the right foot.
The Eagles then used their own 1st round pick to take one of the faster edge rushers in the draft in Nolan Smith, as they look to break the NFL sack record next season after coming just short in 2022. No one would have been surprised if the Eagles had taken Smith with their 10th pick, so getting him at the end of the 1st is absolutely incredible. Smith can ease into the NFL and learn from Haason Reddick and Brandon Graham before he takes over a full time role.
In round 3, they snagged a potential future starting tackle from Alabama in Tyler Steen, a 3 year starter who played in all 13 games for the Tide last year. Like Smith, Steen will probably spend his first year as a rotational player behind a deep Eagle offensive line before taking over one of the tackle positions full time. Having your next key piece along the offensive line in place before you need it is a luxury few teams can afford.
With the very next pick the Eagles drafted Canadian safety Sydney Brown, who was a leader in one of the best secondaries in college last year. Brown led the Big 10 with 6 ints and defended 13 passes this past season. He’s also physical enough to be a factor in the run game.
4th round cornerback Kelee Ringo (who was once seen as a first rounder) was icing on the cake for what was an excellent draft for Howie Roseman. The Eagles didn’t just trade up to draft Ringo – they traded back into the draft, giving up a 3rd round pick in next year’s draft to take the big athletic back. He’s physical and excels in press coverage, but still needs to refine his game, particularly in his route recognition. With his size and athleticism, there are some who believe that he may be a prime candidate to transition to safety at some point in the future.
Standing at 6’6” and 231 pounds, QB prospect Tanner McKee has above average size, but at best is a project QB. He’s a pure pocket quarterback, with better arm strength than arm talent. While he has an unorthodox delivery, he somehow throws a tight spiral with good velocity as long as he isn’t under pressure. His technique did improve in 2022, but he might lack the decision making and mobility to make it in today’s NFL.
Never having enough depth along the defensive line, the Eagles selected DT Moro Ojomo with their last pick of the draft. Ojomo is a naturally powerful lineman who’s size puts him between end and tackle. He doesn’t exactly have the quickness to be a full time edge, but he fights his way through blocks with his upper body strength and will. He landed in an excellent spot to make the best use of his talents, but he will likely max out as a solid backup.
GM Howie Roseman also dipped into the trade market, swinging a deal for former Detroit Lion running back D’Andre Swift. The Eagles let Miles Sanders go in free agency, and he signed a 4 year, $25 million deal with the Panthers. The Eagles are now paying just over $6 million this season for Swift, Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott combined. Roseman (and his scouting crew) put on a clinic of how to run an NFL team this weekend.
Washington Commanders:
1(16) CB Emmanuel Forbes Mississippi State
2(47) S Jartavius Martin, Illinois
3(97) C Ricky Stromberg, Arkansas
4(118) OG Braeden Daniels, Utah
5(137) DE K.J. Henry, Clemson
6(193) RB Chris Rodriguez Jr., Kentucky
7(233) LB Andre Jones, Louisiana
Despite many criticizing the Commanders for reportedly committing to Sam Howell as their starting quarterback for the 2023 season, they seemed to double down on that as they opted not to select a quarterback over the draft weekend, instead choosing to address their defensive backfield and interior offensive lines with their early draft picks.
CB Emmanuel Forbes arguably has the best ball skills for a corner in the entire draft. Of his 14 interceptions, Forbes returned a FBS record 6 for touchdowns and averaged 27.9 yards per return. His quickness, ball skills and speed are impressive. However, many had him ranked much lower in the draft due to his slight frame. Standing at 6’1”, Forbes weighed in at only 166 lbs at the combine, and looks more like a long distance runner than an NFL calibre corner. There’s no doubt he possesses elite ball skills, but with more pro ready corners left in the draft, including Christian Gonzalez who went with the next pick to the Patriots, the Commanders opted for high risk, high reward as opposed to taking a higher floor choice. There’s also a feeling that after they zeroed in on Forbes, they could have gotten him after trading down in the draft and acquired more assets to help fill more holes on the roster.
The Commanders doubled down on their defensive backfield makeover by selecting Jartavius Martin 47th overall. Martin was the most versatile tool for one of the most dominant defensive backfields in all of college football in 2022. He has the speed and size to play either nickel corner or safety at the NFL level, but has a tendency to get beat by clever route runners, so playing deep might be his best fit. He’ll benefit from an offseason in the gym working on his strength, but has all the tools to be a contributor early in his career. The Commanders might have taken him earlier than most teams would have, but he’s probably a more sure prospect than Forbes is. It’s clear the Commanders pinpointed their defensive backfield as a weakness, and made sure they addressed that issue early.
C Ricky Stromberg ranked #1 in the athletic testing out of all centers at the combine and was named the top blocker in the SEC last year. He’s a tough and consistent player, and shows enough strength to be successful in the NFL regardless of scheme. While he seems to lack body control at times, and bends his waist more than an offensive line coach would like to see, his on field results are enough to believe that he can become a long term starter at center. He has an innate feel for angles while blocking, and is versatile enough to swing out and play guard if needed after racking up 11 starts at guard before making the full time move to center.
Continuing with their rebuilding of the interior offensive line, 4th round pick Braeden Daniels is an active, athletic lineman that has a ton of potential for growth. He suffers from the dreaded “small hands syndrome” and will need to clean up his footwork, both of which contributed to him dropping into the 4th round. But, he’s an impactful down blocker with the quickness to handle zone-blocking duties. While he’s listed as a guard, he actually played tackle full time for his final college season, so if he can clean up his technique it isn’t hard to imagine him as a key rotational player along the line with the potential to become an impact starter.
DE K.J. Henry may have been the 3rd defensive lineman drafted out of Clemson this year, but he led the team in quarterback pressures last season. He’s a community oriented team leader with decent athleticism and a great upfield burst. His strengths lie in his interior moves on blockers, where he’s able to use a nice blend of quickness and strength to get inside. That, however, caps his ability as an edge setter against the run, limiting his usage in the NFL. He should be able to step in as a rotational rusher, which is good value in the 5th round, but will need to take some big steps in his development to become a full time player.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. is a powerful runner, but doesn’t show much creativity or burst, so his career will be limited to becoming a downhill grinder. He has the size and the willingness to attack between the tackles, but it could be a challenge for him to get into the open gaps at the NFL level. He will be best used as a battering ram to wear out defenses, and as a 3rd down pass protection back where he can use his physicality as a blitz protector.
7th round pick Andre Jones is long limbed and willing to take on all comers. He needs to build up his strength, but as a 7th round flier, he’s worth the dart throw to see if the flashes of pass rushing ability he’s shown in college will translate to the NFL after a year or two on the practice squad.
In a division as competitive as the NFC East, the Commanders, on paper, look to be facing another season at the bottom of the standings. They might have struck gold with their early picks, but also could have leaned too far into the high ceiling, low floor realm of the draft.
-Devon Gallant
Twitter: @DevGallant
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.