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As he continues his review of last week's NFL draft, Mel Kiper Jr. has a list of players taken in rounds 4 through 7 who he thinks could make an impact this season. One Dallas Cowboys pick was mentioned.

Dallas Cowboys

-Joseph Randle, RB, fifth round: Mel calls him the second-most talented running back on the Cowboys' roster after injury-prone starter DeMarco Murray. If that's not a recipe for touches ...

Still sorting out what went down last week in the NFL draft, Todd McShay has selected a "Best pick" and a "Questionable pick" for each team in the league. Here's what he came up with for the NFC East's teams:

Dallas Cowboys

Best: Gavin Escobar

Questionable: Travis Frederick

Todd says Escobar has the best hands of any tight end he evaluated for this draft. As for Frederick, as has been the case many places, Todd's issue is not with the player but rather how high he was picked. But I still don't know what any team saw Thursday night that would have made them comfortable with waiting a round or two for the offensive lineman they wanted.

New York Giants

Best: Justin Pugh

Questionable: Johnathan Hankins

Todd's opinion of the players is at the root of this evaluation. He likes Pugh a lot -- thinks he projects as a guard, but doesn't rule out tackle. He's less high on Hankins, saying he struggles with technique and offers little in the pass rush.

Philadelphia Eagles

Best: Lane Johnson

Questionable: Bennie Logan

Todd likes Johnson as a fit for the up-tempo offense Chip Kelly plans to run, because of his athleticism. He questions Logan as a guy who took plays off.

Washington Redskins

Best: Phillip Thomas

Questionable: David Amerson

Todd believes Thomas was undervalued and that Washington did well to find a potential 2013 starter in Round 4. He had a fourth-round grade on Amerson, and says the Redskins could have made a safer choice at 51. I agree, but safe doesn't appear to be what the Redskins were after. They were trying to hit home runs with their early picks, and they like Amerson's raw ability.

You know it was coming. Yes, the draft is a seismic enough offseason event that it's worth shuffling the Power Rankings after it's done, and here they are. Let's see how the NFC East fared.

11. Washington Redskins (Pre-draft: 13). Not bad. A two-spot hop for a team that didn't have a first-round pick? The Redskins addressed needs, took some home run swings and got good value on the safeties they picked. They're a 2012 playoff team that's returning almost its entire roster intact -- assuming Robert Griffin III makes it back from his knee surgery okay. So they hang in a playoff spot in the rankings. I had them at 11. Jamison Hensley had them at 10. Mike Sando and John Clayton ranked them 15th.

12. New York Giants (14). A little bump for the G-men as well, after a standard Giants draft that saw them add pieces to the line that are as likely to help down the road as they are in the coming season. The Giants' offseason has gone well, though they do seem thin at linebacker and a secondary that didn't add much is going to have to play better than it did in 2012. I put the Giants 14th in my rankings, as did Jamison and Ashley Fox. Sando is the highest on Big Blue, ranking them 10th.

20. Dallas Cowboys (18). The near-universal overreaction to the Cowboys' draft continues, as they drop two spots. By now you know that I thought they did well, especially after the first round, and that I'm not as down on the first-round pick as everyone else is. So I have Dallas at 17, which is the highest of any of our voters. Jamison put them at 24, which is the lowest.

25. Philadelphia Eagles (26). We still don't know what to make of the Chip Kelly Eagles, and we likely won't until we see them on the field in real games come September. Their draft appears to have been a good one, and in general they've added some interesting pieces this offseason, not the least interesting of which is Kelly himself. Jamison and I put the Eagles at 23. Clayton has them all the way down at 27, and he is done with his segment.

Thoughts?

» NFC draft analysis: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

The draft started off heavy in the NFC East, as the three teams with first-round picks this year used them on offensive linemen. And while there were a few little surprises and treats along the way, it never really got hot. All four of the division's teams had workmanlike drafts that balanced need and value and didn't stray into any of the juicy storylines. No Manti Te'o, Geno Smith or Tyrann Mathieu for us.

PODCAST
Chuck Cooperstein, Matt Mosley and Glenn "Stretch" Smith discuss the Cowboys' draft picks and who was influencing Jerry Jones' decisions. Listen

There was a trade-down in the first round, as the Dallas Cowboys moved out of a No. 18 spot they didn't like and still managed to get their first-round offensive lineman, while adding a third-rounder to the mix. There were two trade-ups in the fourth round, as the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants maneuvered to add quarterbacks in surprising moves. And there were the Washington Redskins, without a first-rounder but fine with it because they have Robert Griffin III, who waited it out and got two talented safeties in the late rounds for a secondary that needs rebuilding.

We'll be breaking this all down for days and weeks and months, but here's a quick early look at the way the 2013 draft went in the NFC East.

BEST MOVE

In the absence of any earth-shaking moves in the early rounds by NFC East teams, I'm going to have to go with the Eagles taking tackle Lane Johnson at No. 4. They probably could have traded down and out of the pick, but this was a draft in which six offensive linemen went in the first 11 picks, and the value of the third-best tackle with the fourth pick was worth hanging in there. After what happened to their offensive line with injuries in 2012, the Eagles were wise to load up there, taking an athletic player who can start at right tackle right away and maybe move to left tackle down the road once Jason Peters is done. It also helps that Johnson is the kind of lineman who can move. If Chip Kelly plans to run a lot of read-option, or even a lot of bubble screens, Johnson's ability to get out and block at the second level is going to be a big help.

Also considered: The Eagles' trade-up for quarterback Matt Barkley at the top of the fourth round. ... The Redskins' getting two quality safeties in the fourth and sixth rounds in Phillip Thomas and Bacarri Rambo. ... The Cowboys trading down in the first round and getting wide receiver Terrance Williams with the third-round pick they added in that deal.

RISKIEST MOVE

There weren't any real big risks taken by NFC East teams with their most valuable picks in the first and second rounds, I didn't think. So I'm going with defensive end Damontre Moore, who went to the Giants in the third round. Moore is a big-time talent with big-time production numbers in college -- 12.5 sacks last year, 26.5 over the past three. But there are good reasons a player as good as he is was still there at pick No. 81, and in Moore's case those reasons include a marijuana bust and a reputation as a young man who struggles with attitude and work ethic.

Now, Moore is just 20 years old, and it's wrong to assume anyone that age will always be what he has been so far. But Moore is the player from this draft whose job it is to bolster the future of the Giants' pass rush with Osi Umenyiora gone and Justin Tuck aging. If he's a solid citizen and produces the way he did at Texas A&M, he's going to be a steal. If he's an attitude case who doesn't take to coaching and causes problems, the Giants are going to have to keep looking for long-term solutions at defensive end in the next several drafts. A third-round pick isn't too much to risk on a player with Moore's potential, but it's a pick with which the Giants could have found help elsewhere. So if he does flop, they will regret it.

MOST SURPRISING MOVE

The Eagles pulled the surprise of Day 3, moving up three spots to the top of the fourth round, where they selected USC quarterback Matt Barkley. Most analysts were convinced Kelly would seek a fast, athletic, running quarterback when he finally pulled the trigger on that position, but Barkley was a pro-style pocket passer at USC and doesn't fit the "system" everyone seems to be assuming Kelly is determined to run now that he's in the pros. As you know if you read this blog regularly, I think that's hogwash and that Kelly is smart enough to know that the best way to coach is to find talented players and figure out the best way to coach them -- not come wading in with your own "system" and only look for players who fit it.

Kelly knows Barkley from coaching against him in college, and Barkley is a guy who a year ago was thought of as a possible No. 1 overall pick. If 2012 was just a bad year for him and he ends up being a good NFL quarterback, nobody's going to care that he can't run the read-option. For a fourth-round pick and a seventh-round pick, which is what it cost the Eagles to move up and take him, it's a worthwhile risk. And it leaves Kelly with a lot of options at the most important position on his team as he begins his first offseason as an NFL coach.

The Giants pulled a surprise of their own later in the round, trading up six picks to select Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib to develop behind Eli Manning. The 32-year-old Manning hasn't missed a game since 2004, so it's unlikely Nassib sees the field anytime soon. But the Giants decided it was time to start thinking down the road at the position.

FILE IT AWAY

I liked the Cowboys' first round more than most people did, because I thought they absolutely needed to come out of that round with an offensive lineman, and they did. And while Travis Frederick may have been a reach at 31, reaching for an offensive lineman wasn't a bad move for this particular team in a draft in which eight offensive linemen went in the top 20 picks. They traded down from 18 and got the pick that netted Frederick and the third-round pick that netted wide receiver Terrance Williams, and they like that pair better than they liked what was available to them at 18.

But they won't have to look far to remember what might have been. The Giants took Syracuse offensive lineman Justin Pugh at 19, which means the Cowboys could have stayed put and picked up a better-regarded lineman than Frederick (though, obviously, not also get Williams in the third). If Pugh turns out to be a great player for the Giants and Frederick flops in Dallas, the Cowboys could end up regretting the Day 1 trade-down in the long run.

Mel Kiper Jr.'s draft grades are in. Let's take a look at his assessments of the NFC East's teams.

Philadelphia Eagles: B+

Mel gives the Eagles a B for needs and an A for value, especially liking top pick Lane Johnson and second-rounder Zach Ertz.

New York Giants: C+

They get a C for needs and a B for value, with Mel downgrading them for failing to address cornerback or linebacker.

Dallas Cowboys: C+

He gave them a B for needs and a C-minus for value. He's consistent with the popular opinion that they could have had first-rounder Travis Frederick much later, but he likes the middle- and late-round picks, especially running back Joseph Randle and safety J.J. Wilcox.

Washington Redskins: C+

They got a B-minus for needs and a C for value, and Mel says he bumped them up a bit because last year's Robert Griffin III trade included this year's first-round pick.

My take: I might have graded the Cowboys and Redskins a bit better -- Dallas because I'm not as down on the Frederick pick as a lot of people are. But I agree on the Eagles and Giants. We'll discuss these in much greater depth in the coming days.

The second and third rounds of the NFL draft are set for tonight back at Radio City Music Hall, and the second will begin at 5:30 p.m. CT. After a first round that saw nine offensive linemen, one quarterback and no running backs taken Thursday, it's possible tonight will have more star power than the first night did. Scouts, Inc. has done a second-round mock draft , and this is what they've come up with for the NFC East's teams.

3 (35). Philadelphia Eagles: John Cyprien, S, Florida International

In this scenario, West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith is off the board, taken by Jacksonville with the night's first pick, and the Eagles end up with the best remaining safety to fill a position of perennial need. Other possibilities I could imagine for the Eagles here include a defensive lineman with a 3-4 background, Stanford tight end Zach Ertz or Smith if he's available. I doubt they'll trade up for Smith (because they could have done so last night), and if he's gone I'm guessing they wait a few rounds for someone like Arizona quarterback Matt Scott.

15 (47). Dallas Cowboys: Kawann Short, DT, Purdue

After getting the interior offensive line help they so badly needed in the first round, this mock has the Cowboys turning to the interior of the defensive line, where Jay Ratliff always seems banged-up and Jason Hatcher is entering the final year of his contract. Short is a big talent whose question marks are about motivation and inconsistent college production. He could be a developmental guy for them -- help some in a rotation in the first year but more as a down-the-road replacement for one of the starters. I'd also have no issue with the Cowboys addressing safety here with someone like Cyprien or D.J. Swearinger. Could see them looking at a running back like Eddie Lacy or Montee Ball. And no, I absolutely do not think it would be a mistake for them to take another offensive lineman such as Menelik Watson or Larry Warford here.

17 (49). New York Giants: Kevin Minter, ILB, LSU

Linebacker is a need for the Giants. But as we've discussed, it's not one on which they tend to spend valuable resources. This is still a relatively high pick, and while Minter makes sense, I could easily see them spending this on a safety like the ones we've mentioned, a cornerback like Johnthan Banks or Jamar Taylor, a defensive end like Tank Carradine or even one of those running backs. They do like to have depth there.

19 (51). Washington Redskins: Johnthan Banks, CB, Mississippi State

Finally, the Redskins make their first pick of this year's draft, and it's at a position where they need immediate help and long-term depth. This draft is deep in defensive backs, and the Redskins should be able to take advantage of that with a good cornerback or safety at this spot. Tyrann Mathieu is still on the board in this mock, but I'd be surprised if Washington went that way, especially with so many less questionable options available. Cyprien, Swearinger or Shamarko Thomas make sense if they want to go safety. Banks, Taylor, Blidi Wreh-Wilson or Banks' teammate, Darius Slay, are among the good options at corner. If they don't take a defensive back here, maybe it's because a tackle like Watson or Terron Armstead fell to them. And you can't rule out wide receiver as a possibility here either.

ESPN Dallas' Calvin Watkins and Mike Jones of the Washington Post discuss what to expect from the Redskins in the NFL draft.

Click here to listen.

I spoke with Steve Muench of Scouts Inc., about the NFC East teams and the upcoming NFL draft in this Blogger Blitz video. We talked about all four teams -- even the Redskins, who aren't picking until late in the second round. Steve likes tackle Lane Johnson for the Eagles at No. 4 (assuming Eric Fisher and Luke Joeckel are gone in the first three picks), figures on a cornerback for the Giants at No. 19 and expects that the Redskins will have good options at safety at No. 51.

But it's what Steve said about the Dallas Cowboys that really caught my attention. Steve agrees with the mock drafts that have the top six offensive linemen gone by the time Dallas picks, even though six offensive linemen haven't been picked in the first 17 picks since 1966, but there's a seventh offensive linemen Steve thinks would fit well and be a great pick for the Cowboys at No. 18 -- Syracuse's Justin Pugh, who played tackle in college but whose arms measured more like a guard's at the combine. Steve thinks Pugh could step in and play right away at right guard, and surely the Cowboys could use him there.

PODCAST
Galloway & Company discuss Jerry Jones' comments from the Cowboys' pre-draft news conference. Listen

Jerry Jones said Monday he expects offensive linemen to go early in this draft. Everybody does, because there are no quarterbacks or running backs anyone loves for early in the first round. Jones also said he'd be interested in trading down, which might not be a bad idea for the Cowboys if the top six offensive linemen are gone by 18 and they think they can get Pugh later in the round. But these pre-draft news conferences really don't mean much, because teams aren't really going to reveal anything about their plans in public.

If you've been reading regularly, you guys know I think the Cowboys absolutely need to come out of Thursday night's first round with a new starter at one of the offensive line positions. I think it's such a crying short-term and long-term need that they'd be nuts not to make it happen. We're having our ESPN.com blogger mock draft Tuesday, complete with trades, and I'll be making the Cowboys' pick and get a chance to put my money where my mouth is. I'm interested to see whether one of the top six linemen is there at 18 or if I'll have to try and maneuver down to get in position for Pugh. Even if they can get a starting offensive lineman in the second round as well, I think the Cowboys have to find one in the first.

» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

What would be the ideal first-round scenario for the Cowboys in next week's NFL draft?

Dallas Cowboys

PODCAST
Arlington and Texas A&M product Luke Joeckel, the potential No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, joins Ian Fitzsimmons and Richard Durrett to discuss the draft, coaches and advice from his dad. Listen

Because of the perceived lack of top-level skill-position talent in this year's draft, a lot of the mock drafts and projections have the top offensive linemen going off the board early. Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest mock , for example, has six offensive linemen going in the top 12 picks, which means well before the Cowboys pick at 18 and probably too early for them to make a sensible trade-up to grab someone like Alabama guard Chance Warmack or North Carolina guard Jonathan Cooper. This would be unfortunate and far from ideal for the Cowboys, but history offers hope. The last time six of the first 17 picks in the draft were offensive linemen was 1966, when there were only 15 teams in the league. Only three times since then -- 1977, 1985 and 2008 -- have as many as five offensive linemen been picked in the top 17. The Cowboys probably can't expect any of the top three tackles to fall to them, but their ideal first-round situation would be for Warmack, Cooper or even Alabama tackle D.J. Fluker to fall to 18 and allow them to shore up their most significant area of short-term and long-term need. If only one of those guys is still available by 14, the Cowboys should look into trading up to get him.

To see the ideal first-round scenario for the other NFC East teams, click here.

Our man Mel Kiper, Jr. has posted his annual "Grade A" draft preview, which he says is not a mock draft but rather a simulation of the way the first three rounds of the draft would go if he were making the picks for each team based on his evaluation of their needs and his own rankings of the players. It's quite an undertaking, and it's available here if you're an Insider subscriber. There are trades involved, including one in which the Lions trade with the Chiefs to move up and make cornerback Dee Milliner the first pick in the draft. I mean, honestly, not shilling for the company here, but it's the kind of thing I would think would make a draft-obsessed non-Insider reach for his or her credit card.

Anyway, here's what Mel's got for the NFC East teams:

Philadelphia Eagles

Round 1 (pick 4): Dion Jordan, LB, Oregon

Round 1 (pick 25, from Minnesota, in exchange for 2nd-round picks in 2013 and 2014): Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia

Round 3 (pick 67): Jordan Poyer, CB, Oregon State

My take: Pass-rusher Jordan makes a ton of sense for his college coach at No. 4, but the big move here is the trade-back into the first round for Smith. Lots of people like the idea of Smith with Chip Kelly, and if Kelly likes it too and can get Smith without the No. 4 pick in the draft, you'd have to call that a coup -- especially for a team that wouldn't need to start Smith right away. Obviously, the idea of the top quarterback in the draft lasting until pick 25 in this day and age is impossibly farfetched. But again, this isn't about what's likely to happen. It's about what would happen if Mel were in charge of every team's draft.

Dallas Cowboys

Round 1 (pick 18): Sylvester Williams, DT, North Carolina

Round 2 (pick 47): Larry Warford, G, Kentucky

Round 3 (pick 80): Joe Kruger, DE, Utah

My take: I think a lot of people would be surprised to see the Cowboys use two of their first three picks on defensive linemen. But given that they're transitioning to a 4-3 and have depth and age issues on the line, it's not a bad way to go. In Mel's scenario, the draft's top six offensive linemen all go in the top 12 (something that has never happened in draft history, but again, this isn't meant as a prediction), and the Cowboys are forced to wait until Round 2 to address their most desperate need. Picking Williams with safety Kenny Vaccaro still on the board might frustrate Cowboys fans who like Vaccaro and yearn for a big-play safety, but it also might be the smarter long-term value play.

New York Giants

Round 1 (pick 19): Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia

Round 2 (pick 49): Corey Lemonier, DE, Auburn

Round 3 (pick 81): Jordan Reed, TE, Florida

My take: Mel admits he knows the Giants never take linebackers in the first round, but this is his draft, not theirs. Ogletree would be a great fit, there is no doubt, and they'd get their pass-rusher in the second round. What's missing here is a cornerback, and I'd be very surprised if the Giants went through the first three rounds without addressing that position.

Washington Redskins

Round 2 (pick 51): D.J. Swearinger, S, South Carolina

Round 3 (pick 85): Robert Alford, CB, Southeast Louisiana

My take: Safety/cornerback is the most likely and sensible way to go for the Redskins with their first two picks this year, and Swearinger is a guy who could start for them right away. Alford is a guy Mel likes as a high-ceiling developmental player, and the Redskins don't have as immediate a need at that position as they do at safety.

So what do you guys think?

» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Who is one potential breakout player for the Dallas Cowboys in 2013?

Dallas Cowboys: Bruce Carter. I was torn between Carter and Morris Claiborne for this distinction -- and in a way, both already broke out to some degree last season. Carter and Claiborne are fantastic talents, but I do have concerns about how Claiborne, a true man-to-man cornerback at his roots, will be used in Dallas’ new 4-3 scheme, which should feature a lot of Cover 2. On the other hand, Carter is a perfect fit as a Derrick Brooks-style weakside linebacker with his extreme athletic ability to run, hit and make plays in space. Carter is coming off a season-ending elbow injury, but that shouldn’t slow him down in 2013, and he played very well last season before the injury. Expect a lot of big plays from the dynamic Carter.

To see the breakout players from the other NFC East teams, click here.

The NFL has announced the offseason workout dates for all 32 teams. Here's a look at the offseason schedules for teams in the NFC East. Teams with new head coaches get to start early and hold one extra minicamp, which is why the Eagles' schedule differs from those of the other three teams. Chip Kelly gets to talk to his guys starting tomorrow.

Dallas Cowboys

First day: April 15

OTA offseason workouts: May 21-23, May 28-30, June 3-6

Mandatory minicamp: June 11-13

New York Giants

First day: April 15

OTA offseason workouts: May 22-23, May 29-31, June 3-7

Mandatory minicamp: June 11-13

Philadelphia Eagles

First day: April 1

Voluntary minicap: April 16-18

OTA offseason workouts: May 13-15, May 20-22, May 28-31

Mandatory minicamp: June 4-6

Washington Redskins

First day: April 15

OTA offseason workouts: May 20, May 22-23, May 28-30, June 3-6

Mandatory minicamp: June 11-13

» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

How do the Cowboys look at wide receiver and what still needs to be done?

Dallas Cowboys: Dez Bryant broke out in a huge way in the second half of his third NFL season and finished the year with 92 catches for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns. If he can keep himself in one piece, he's one of the top wideouts in the league. Miles Austin is the perfect complement on the other side -- good enough that defenses have to pay attention to him but not the kind of guy who's going to complain if Bryant gets more catches. Austin has to keep his hamstrings healthy, and if he does the Cowboys have a top one-two wide receiver combo. Dwayne Harris came on strong last year as a No. 3 wide receiver, and guys such as Cole Beasley and Danny Coale could provide intriguing depth. Dallas could look to add a veteran wide receiver to its mix heading into training camp in case the young guys don't produce, but it's not a high-priority issue.

To see what the other NFC East teams look like at WR, click here.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Todd McShay's latest mock draft is out and it covers the first two rounds, which means Redskins fans get to play too! Here's what Todd projects, along with my thoughts on his picks for each NFC East team:

Philadelphia Eagles

4. Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan

35. EJ Manuel, QB, Florida State

Yes, even with cornerback Dee Milliner still on the board, I like Fisher for the Eagles at 4. I think they need to get a long-term building block at that spot, and an elite tackle is just that. As for Manuel at 35, I like it find if they think he has franchise quarterback potential. If not, they're just adding to a stable of caretaker backups and developmental guys, and the pick could be used better. I do know which of those categories fits Manuel, and I imagine if the Eagles are talking about him, they're trying to figure that out as well.

Dallas Cowboys

18. Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas

47. Kyle Long, G, Oregon

I have no problem with the Cowboys coming out of the first two rounds with a safety and an offensive lineman. I just think they need to pick them in the reverse order. In Todd's mock, the top five offensive linemen go in the first 17 picks -- something that's only happened once in the last 15 drafts. But even if that happens, I'd have no issue with the Cowboys taking the tackle Todd projects to go with the very next pick to the Giants. They need elite offensive line talent more than they need this draft's top safety.

New York Giants

19. D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama

49. Jamar Taylor, CB, Boise State

Got to be honest, I have no idea what the Giants will or should do in the first round, and it doesn't seem as though most of the draft analysts do either. Offensive line seems to make sense, but they don't like to draft offensive linemen in the first round. I keep thinking they'll take the highest-ranked defensive lineman on their board in the first round, or maybe a defensive back. But maybe I'm relying too much on Giants draft history and this is a year in which they'll go against it.

Washington Redskins

51. Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego State

Obviously, this is a pick that assumes they don't re-sign Fred Davis. If they do, I have to think they look for a safety here like D.J. Swearinger or Jon Cyprien.

Mike Sando passed this item along, and I thought you might find it interesting. It includes a chart that shows all 32 NFL teams ranked by how much salary cap room they have committed to the quarterback position in 2013. Here's where the Cowboys come in:

4. Dallas Cowboys ($19.6 million). This does not count the nearly $400,000 they saved Wednesday by restructuring the contract of backup Kyle Orton, but it does include a $16.8 million cap number for starter Tony Romo that can't be reduced unless the sides agree to an extension. They have had talks on this and continue to work on it, but as yet they have not reached the agreement that both sides ultimately hope will keep Romo in Dallas for the rest of his career. Once they do, this number is likely to drop.

To see where the rest of the NFC East teams rank, click here.