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Falling

The New York Giants' veteran defensive linemen: No matter how Tom Coughlin and general manager Jerry Reese choose to spin it, this draft was an indictment of some of the players on the Giants' defensive line. Reese signed defensive tackles Rocky Bernard and Chris Canty to lucrative free-agent contracts last offseason and neither player had any production. They were banged up for much of the season, but the Giants didn't want to wait around and see if they healed in 2010. And we all know the story of defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who saw his star fade significantly last season. His late-season benching has led to an offseason of unrest. The Giants have said Umenyiora won't be traded, but it's not like they're in a hurry to return him to the starting lineup.

The Giants had a huge need at middle linebacker, but they didn't let that dictate the first couple of rounds of the draft. Once the Raiders selected Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain, the Giants focused on landing a pass-rusher. South Florida defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul is raw, but he has immense potential. There's not a more athletic pass-rusher in this rookie class. In the second round, the Giants selected East Carolina defensive tackle Linval Joseph. He's not a polished player, but he's enormous (328 pounds) and he should contribute immediately. The Giants are attempting to regain their identity as a dominant defensive line through this draft. And that's why players such as Bernard might not be around to see the results.

Rising

Doug Free, Cowboys left tackle: Jerry Jones told anyone who would listen that he's comfortable with Doug Free as his starting left tackle. I guess we should have believed him. The Cowboys didn't attempt to land a potential starter at that position in the draft. They may have briefly thought about moving up the board when Bryan Bulaga began to slip, but they were mostly focused on Dez Bryant.

Cowboys players were surprised by Flozell Adams' release. DeMarcus Ware, Bradie James and Tony Romo have all expressed some level of surprise by the announcement. The release of Adams was a financial decision. It was a chance for Jones to trim a significant salary without any penalty because of the uncapped season. But the move would not have been made if the Cowboys didn't feel like Free was ready. Scouts have always told me that Free's a good "foot athlete," which means he's good in space. And against Brian Orakpo and Trent Cole, he better be really good in space. Free did a superb job filling in for Marc Colombo at right tackle last season. But protecting Tony Romo's blindside is a completely different assignment. The Cowboys have displayed a lot of faith in Free. Now we'll see if they're rewarded.

» NFC Big Question: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Did the Philadelphia Eagles wheel and deal themselves out of a quality cornerback?

If nothing else, new Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was entertaining while running his first draft alongside coach Andy Reid. Even the stoic Reid admitted to being impressed with the way Roseman moved up and down the draft board.

I've talked to some scouts who thought the Eagles "reached" a bit in moving up 11 spots to land Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham. But Roseman and Reid obviously decided that Graham was the best fit scheme-wise as a pass-rusher and they didn't want to take the chance of losing him. The fact they gave up two third-rounders to move from No. 24 to No. 13 was almost forgotten as Roseman basically tried to commandeer the fourth round. The Eagles once again extended a helping hand to a division foe in flipping picks with the Cowboys in the second round. The Cowboys took Penn State linebacker Sean Lee, who's expected to eventually take over for Keith Brooking at inside linebacker.

I think Graham and South Florida safety Nate Allen were both solid choices for the Eagles, but it concerns me they couldn't find a potential starter at cornerback. Veteran Marlin Jackson, signed in free agency, has experience at cornerback, but he's probably more comfortable at safety after tearing the ACL in each knee the past two years. Asante Samuel's a perennial Pro Bowler, but he's one of the least willing tacklers in the league.

The projected starter on the other side, Ellis Hobbs, is returning from a neck injury. I thought the Eagles needed more depth at cornerback in this draft, but they only came up with fourth-rounder Trevard Lindley out of Kentucky. Had Lindley come out after the '08 season, he probably would have gone in the second round. But the cornerback suffered a high ankle sprain last year and had a challenging senior season.

"He got banged-up this year,'' Reid said Saturday. "He had a high ankle sprain and that can kind of put a damper on a college season, and that's what happened. It happened early and he never really got over it, but he didn't want to stop playing, which showed me something."

Good to know, but it doesn't really address the issue that Miles Austin and Jason Witten ran roughshod over this secondary at the end of the '09 season. Even Roy Williams stumbled into daylight a couple times against this unit. Reid seems to think that players such as Macho Harris and Joselio Hanson can help patch together a decent group of cornerbacks. But that's a scary proposition when you know that the Giants and Cowboys both have big-time weapons on the outside. And the Redskins happened to acquire a quarterback who has been successful with inferior talent at wide receiver before. (I'd give Santana Moss the edge over Freddie Mitchell.)

I think the Eagles certainly improved their roster this past weekend, but cornerback is still a position of need. If you want to poke holes in Roseman's first draft, I'd start with that position.

Since the draft ended Saturday afternoon, I've been on the phone with scouts from across the league trying to figure how they thought the NFC East teams performed. Many of you (100 at last count) left questions for the scouts in the "comments" section. I asked the following question on behalf of "dnasemployee."

Question: I understand that Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, drafted in the fourth round by the Cowboys, is a project safety and will take a few years before he develops into a starter. Given his skill set, what type of potential does he have, what obstacles would he have to overcome and who is he comparable to?

AFC scout: I see him as more of a safety than a cornerback. He'd have to be a press corner if he plays that position. He's certainly athletic enough to be effective, but you have to wonder about the pedigree a little bit. He hasn't played stiff competition, so it's hard to have a great feel for him. He needs a lot of drill work and he's going to have to become more savvy as a technician. I think he could eventually start, but for now, he'll only be ready for some special-teams duty. He's sort of built like the Giants' Kenny Phillips, although he's not there talent-wise. Not a bad pick in the fourth round. It's not like you're expecting to find an immediate starter that late in the draft. He's a project.

Mosley: You guys asked some great questions. I'll keep rolling these out over the next couple of weeks. Thanks for your participation. Ttoes9528 asked for a scout to compare Trent Williams to Russell Okung. Here's what I came up with.

The good people at Scouts Inc. released their list of the top-10 undrafted players Sunday. You have to spend a dime or two to read the whole thing, but I'll tell you that new Cowboys quarterback Matt Nichols of Eastern Washington showed up at No. 10.

"He has the tools and mental aptitude to become a serviceable reserve with proper coaching and development," said Scouts Inc. of Nichols.

I've spent a portion of the day asking scouts about some of the undrafted players. It looks like the Chargers landed a couple of the top undrafted players with Troy defensive end Brandon Lang and Fresno State wide receiver Seyi Ajirotutu. I also had two different AFC scouts tell me that Fresno State running back Lonyae Miller was an excellent pickup by the Dallas Cowboys.

Miller backed up Ryan Mathews (12th overall to Chargers) last season but he impressed scouts at the Senior Bowl with nine carries for 44 yards. I'm told that Miller has a good chance of making the practice squad and that he has the potential to be a contributor down the road.

A lot of teams bring in a handful of "tryout" players to compete in their first rookie minicamp. But the Giants will take it to another level during this weekend's minicamp. They just released a list of 54 players who will attend the minicamp. In terms of comparison, the Cowboys generally have about 24 players on hand for their rookie minicamp, which also takes place this weekend. You'll see 11 players from the current 80-man roster who are eligible to attend based on credited seasons in the league. Here are those 11 names:

Quarterback Rhett Bomar, fullback Jerome Johnson, tight end Carson Butler, guard Rueben Riley, defensive end Tommie Hill, defensive tackle Dwayne Hendricks, linebacker Kenny Ingram, cornerback Vince Anderson, safety Sha'reff Rashad, punter Jy Bond and kicker Sam Swank.

The seven players the Giants selected in the draft will attend: defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul of South Florida, defensive tackle Linval Joseph of East Carolina, safety Chad Jones of LSU, linebacker Phillip Dillard of Nebraska, guard Mitch Petrus of Arkansas , linebacker Adrian Tracy of William & Mary and punter Matt Dodge of East Carolina. Dodge and Bond will begin their competition to replace Jeff Feagles, who will likely announce his retirement soon.

The Giants have signed 13 players to rookie free-agent contracts. They will also attend this weekend's camp: quarterback Dominic Randolph of Holy Cross, tight end Jake Ballard of Ohio State, wide receivers Tim Brown of Rutgers, Duke Calhoun of Memphis and Victor Cruz of Massachusetts, offensive lineman Dennis Landolt of Penn State, center Jim Cordle of Ohio State, defensive end Ayanga Okpokowuruk of Duke, defensive tackle Nate Collins of Virginia, linebacker Lee Campbell of Minnesota, cornerbacks Seth Williams of Richmond and Leon Wright of Duke and safety Michael Greco of Central Florida.

Here are the 23 players scheduled to attend the camp on a tryout basis: Quarterback Riley Skinner of Wake Forest, running backs Deshawn Wynn of Florida, Tony Hunt of Penn State and Andre Dixon of Connecticut (Baylor fans remember this guy), running back/fullback Brian Toal of Boston College, fullback Anthony Cotrone of Maine, tight end Mitch Ryan of San Diego, tight end/long-snapper Jon Loyte of Boston College, wide receivers Lance Leggett of Miami and D.J. McAuley of William & Mary, centers Robby Felix of UTEP and Nick Richmond of Delaware State, tackles Kyle Webber of Gardner-Webb and Ben Benshoof of Wingate, guard Chris Poole of Holy Cross, defensive end Brandon Crawford of Ball State, defensive tackles Abe Koroma of Western Illinois and Santonio Thomas of Miami, linebacker Micah Johnson of Kentucky, cornerbacks Wondy Pierre-Louis of Florida and Ben Hannula of San Diego, safety John Busing of Miami (Ohio) and long-snapper Ryan Neill of Rutgers.

Let's take a quick peek at some of the rookies who signed free-agent contracts with NFC East teams:

Cowboys

• Here are the 10 undrafted free agents the Cowboys have signed, courtesy of ESPNDallas.com's Calvin Watkins. Los Angeles Times NFL columnist Sam Farmer and I spent some time with Cal guard Mike Tepper at the combine. He has a remarkable backstory, which Tim Keown wrote about in ESPN The Magazine. It's amazing that Tepper continued his football career after a gruesome injury.

• The Cowboys also signed a South Florida punter.

• Dallas Morning News draft guru Rick "Goose" Gosselin gives the Cowboys a "C" in this draft. But he thinks Dez Bryant will be the offensive rookie of the year.

Eagles

• The Eagles have brought in a Purdue quarterback and cornerback.

• Daily News NFL columnist Paul Domowitch isn't quite as harsh as Gosselin. He gave both the Eagles and Cowboys an A-.

• John Gonzalez of the Inquirer says that new GM Howie Roseman is now in the line of fire.

Giants

• Mike Garafolo of the Star-Ledger has compiled a preliminary list of rookie free agents.

• Gosselin says that Jason Pierre-Paul has the best upside of any player in the draft.

• Longtime Giants beat man Vinny DiTrani of the Bergen County Record had a day he'll never forget. Really nice move by the Giants organization.

• Ralph Vacchiano has a full list of the undrafted players the Giants have signed.

Redskins

• Jason Reid of the Post has a list of undrafted rookies. And he later indicated that Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark would soon join the team.

• Uh-oh, Gosselin gave the Skins a "D" for their draft efforts.

• Jason Reid of the Post talks about a "fresh start" for Jason Campbell.

No matter what happens, South Florida safety Nate Allen will always be remembered as the player taken with the "Donovan McNabb pick," which was 37th overall. He was asked about that while meeting with reporters in Philadelphia on Saturday.

"It's an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence as Donovan," said Allen in the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I'm just going to come in and be myself, and just try to help the Eagles win in whatever way I can, play whatever position and help them with the Super Bowl. I was talking to Coach Reid this morning, and he said he was trying to get a youth movement in here. I definitely think that'd be a good thing."

For the record, it would be sort of ridiculous to measure Allen's career against the remainder of McNabb's. The Eagles are certainly pleased to have Allen at safety, but the trade was more about getting the Kevin Kolb era started than getting a player of McNabb's caliber in return.

The Eagles used their two compensatory picks in the seventh round on Ohio State safety Kurt Coleman and Georgia defensive tackle Jeff Owens. Coleman plays a lot bigger than he is at 5-10. Natural leader who should provide some depth at a "need" position. Owens is a powerful guy who was recognized as a big-time leader at Georgia. Not going to crack the starting lineup, but could certainly compete for a roster spot.

OK, that's about it for today. What did you guys make of Day 3? Who had the best overall draft in the Beast?

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

The Washington Redskins were the only team in the division to keep this draft from being all about defense. The Giants' once-vaunted defense was embarrassed in '09 and general manager Jerry Reese and coach Tom Coughlin spent three days trying to rectify the situation. Who will start at middle linebacker, though? It's a fair question.

It was a memorable three days in the Beast. Now, let's take a look back at what transpired. It's never too early for some knee-jerk reaction.

Best move

I think Cowboys owner Jerry Jones moving up three spots in the first round to select Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant may have been the best move in the division. He's a top-10 talent (No. 8 on the Boys' board) who comes with some baggage. Yes, there were teams scared of him. But I couldn't find a scout around the league who said he would've passed on Bryant at No. 24 overall. It was also a shrewd move because the Ravens were waiting for Bryant at No. 25. Patriots coach Bill Belichick blocked an AFC playoff team by making the trade with Jones.

Other teams were worried about Bryant's association with Dallas area businessman David Wells, who helped guide (his nephew) Michael Crabtree into a holdout last fall. I'm told by folks at Valley Ranch that Jones knows exactly how to deal with Wells and that it shouldn't be a problem. The unfair thing for Bryant was that some folks assumed he wasn't a good kid because his stock was falling. Of the eight or nine scouts I asked about Bryant during the buildup to the draft, every one of them said he was essentially a good kid. He was just extremely immature and had a problem showing up to places on time. He's hands down the best receiver in the draft and I think the potential reward far outweighs the risk -- especially where he was drafted. The Tim Tebow trade immediately trumped Bryant's selection in terms of excitement, but Bryant will be contributing a lot sooner than the former Florida quarterback.

Riskiest move

You'll think I'm crazy (as usual), but the Redskins choosing Oklahoma left tackle Trent Williams No. 4 overall is one of the riskiest moves of the draft. I agree that he has tremendous potential, but he's not a finished product at left tackle. Oklahoma State's Russell Okung would have been a no-brainer starter at left tackle from Day 1. Williams has more versatility and he's a better fit in the Redskins' zone-blocking scheme, but it's wrong to suggest that he's anywhere close to the "safest" pick in the top-10. If you want to know why I'm a little skeptical, go back and watch the OU-BYU game on tape. Sam Bradford remembers what I'm talking about.

On the positive side, Williams is an exceptional athlete and I love watching him finish off blocks. I think Mike Shanahan always has Ryan Clady on his mind these days. And Williams has that type of potential. But you're going to have to live with some mistakes. Don't be shocked if Williams has to begin his career at right tackle. I shudder to think what he'll look like in that first game against DeMarcus Ware. I flew back from Indianapolis with both of those players after the combine. Williams didn't recognize Ware on that flight. Something tells me he won't have a problem putting a face to a name Sept. 12.


Most surprising move

Maybe I haven't been fair enough to Eagles general manager Howie Roseman. On the second day of the draft, I was really impressed by the way he moved all over the board and kept acquiring extra picks. I'd heard from both Eagles and Cowboys sources that the fourth round was going to contain a ton of "value," and Roseman apparently took that to heart. By trading down twice in the 50s, he basically took over the fourth round. The Eagles had four picks in the fourth and then they found another pass-rusher in the fifth with Clemson defensive end Ricky Sapp. He's an undersized player who has exceptional quickness. I think he probably reminded Andy Reid of Trent Cole, a player who the Eagles landed in the fifth round a few years back. I guess the "surprising" aspect of all this is how comfortable Roseman looked while running his first draft. Even the stoic Andy Reid admitted that he was entertained by watching Roseman at work.

It was also bold to move from No. 24 to 13 in order to land Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham. ESPN's Sal Paolantonio has reported that Reid and Roseman may have wanted to preempt the Giants from taking Graham. Of course, general manager Jerry Reese will never acknowledge that he coveted Graham, but it's an interesting theory.

File it away

I could almost sense that Tom Coughlin and Jerry Reese were seething about the '09 season during this draft. Everyone wanted them to take a middle linebacker in the first round, but it didn't happen. The Giants made this draft about reclaiming the line of scrimmage. They started out with the immensely talented, but somewhat unproven, South Florida defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and then selected an enormous defensive tackle from East Carolina named Linval Joseph in the second round. Even when you thought they might turn to offense in the sixth round, they went with a sleeper defensive end out of Williams & Mary named Adrian Tracy. This pick had Reese written all over it because he loves overachieving kids from small schools. Tracy's not a three-down lineman by any stretch of the imagination, but he gives the Giants more options. If the Giants are able to become an elite defense again, we'll point back to the 2010 draft as a major turning point. In terms of potential impact players, this reminds me of the '07 draft. And that's a great thing for Giants fans.

One other thing to file away

The Cowboys moved up to take Penn State linebacker Sean Lee in the second round. They see him as the eventual successor to Keith Brooking at inside linebacker. Other scouts around the league were very concerned about Lee's torn ACL that caused him to miss the '08 season. If he's healthy, the Cowboys will have a starter in the near future. And you can probably go ahead and say goodbye to the Bobby Carpenter era. I'll say one thing for Carpenter. I've never seen a guy respond to intense criticism with such extreme grace. Perhaps he'll find a team that will truly value his ability to cover running backs and tight ends in space.

As I predicted several times over the past few weeks, the Giants selected East Carolina punter Matt Dodge in the seventh round Saturday. Wait, I forgot to post any of those entries? Oh well, it's true. General manager Jerry Reese and coach Tom Coughlin decided to spend the 221st overall pick of the draft on Dodge.

According to my research (calling Giants P.R. specialist Peter Baptiste), the last time the Giants drafted a punter was 1997. That's when Brad Maynard was selected out of Ball State -- in the third round!

So at least the Giants waited until Day 3 to create some competition at punter. Maynard of course played on the 2000 Super Bowl team before joining the Bears in free agency. He's still in the league at age 36.

At 5 p.m., you can read my column on the NFC East draft. And check in tomorrow for Round 8 coverage beginning at 6 a.m. ET.

Quarterback Jason Campbell has confirmed to ESPN.com that he's been traded to the Oakland Raiders this afternoon. The Redskins will receive a fourth-round pick from the Raiders in the 2012 draft, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Campbell told me via phone this afternoon that he and his agent, Joel Segal, had received interest from the Panthers on Friday until they selected Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen with the No. 48 overall pick. But Campbell was excited about the prospect of a fresh start after being replaced by Donovan McNabb in Washington.

"I look at this as getting to start over," said Campbell. "I talked to Mr. [Al] Davis, and he wanted me for two years. He wants me to help their team to a new level."

When I asked him whether he was assured a starting role, Campbell responded, "I got that feeling. I'm going to work hard to make sure that happens."

Talks between the Redskins and Raiders heated up Saturday morning and Campbell's new contract was agreed upon by about noon ET. He'll make $3.1 million in 2010 and $4.5 million in 2011. And Davis has left the door open to Campbell playing his way into more money in 2011.

"Had I stayed [in Washington], there was no guarantee I was going to be the backup," said Campbell. "Now I have a chance to go play for a team that really wants me."

We'll have more on this trade throughout the afternoon.

New York Giants safety Chad Jones, selected in the third round Friday, was asked if his weight dropped when he was playing baseball for LSU. Some of you might recall that he came out of the bullpen with a 91-mph fastball in the 2009 College World Series and passed up an opportunity to play in the major leagues.

"I actually think I got bigger during baseball season," said Jones. "I was a pitcher, and I didn’t really do much running because I was in shape from football. I was basically one of the best players when it comes to conditioning wise on the team. I kind of blew up during baseball as a pitcher because I only pitched once a week. I would pitch 2-3 innings as a closer, and at night time they would actually give you a box of pizza. Sometimes we would have five games a week, so I’d get five boxes of pizza. It kind of sat on my stomach, without me doing much exercise or running, and I blew up. When I got back to football, the weight cut really quick because it was all extra and I didn’t need it on my body."

So for players looking to add a little weight to their frame in college, I would recommend serving as a reliever on an SEC team.

I knew that Philadelphia and New York would be re-tooling their defenses in this draft, but I didn't know they would take it to this extreme.

According to Jon D. Kramer of ESPN Stats & Information, NFC East teams went to the defensive side of the ball on 12 of 16 overall picks in the first four rounds. Here's the breakdown:

• Eagles -- seven picks overall, five on defense
• Giants -- four picks overall, four on defense
• Cowboys -- three picks overall, two on defense
• Redskins -- two picks overall, one on defense

Things are moving pretty quickly at this point, so we won't go pick by pick anymore. But the Dallas Cowboys have to feel really good to land Indiana (Pa.) cornerback Akwasi Owusu-Ansah late in the fourth round. He was getting a lot of buzz in the days leading up to the draft.

Here's what Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com had to say about Owusu-Ansah. The Cowboys traded down seven spots to take him at No. 126 overall. His technique is raw and he's played inferior competition at the Division II. I don't even know what to make about his seven returns for touchdowns. I'm told by scouts that he looked really uncomfortable fielding punts, but if he caught them, he could take it to the house.

He may have more upside than any player in the fourth round. But secondary coach Dave Campo will have his work cut out for him. Owusu-Ansah has relied on his athleticism throughout college. He had shoulder surgery after the combine, so that's something that other teams thought about. But most teams don't think that's a concern.

Good pick late in the fourth. He was everyone's sleeper pick at cornerback. By the way, the Philadelphia Eagles took Clemson defensive end Ricky Sapp early in the fifth round. You think the Eagles and New York Giants might be interested in improving on defense? Sapp's an undersized defensive end, which is not a problem for Andy Reid and Sean McDermott. They'll hope they've found another Trent Cole. Sapp is extremely athletic and he should be able to add some bulk to his 250-pound frame. He doesn't play the run all that well, but he probably won't be asked to do that early in his career. Could be a good situational pass-rusher.

Because new general manager Howie Roseman traded down at every opportunity Friday, the Philadelphia Eagles are having a busy fourth round. We've talked about how the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys believed there was tremendous value in the fourth. Well, so far that's turning out to be correct.

With the 122nd pick overall, the Eagles selected Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka. I think Kafka is one of the most intriguing players in this draft. He only started for one year at Northwestern, so no one knows where his career's headed. But he's tall enough (6-3) and has the mobility to make plays on the run. He's a little too inaccurate for me, but he has the tools to really improve in that area.

I just think he's a cerebral player who could manage a game in a pinch. He'll eventually be a serviceable No. 2 quarterback, and there's no shame in that. If he's more than that, the Eagles could flip him for a draft pick down the road. Andy Reid learned from the great Ron Wolf about taking talented quarterbacks in the draft.

The Eagles also selected linebacker Keenan Clayton out of Oklahoma and Missouri State tight end Clay Harbor. Clayton's an excellent athlete who will help on special teams. Tight end was a "need" position.

The Cowboys selected cornerback Akwasi Owusu-Ansah with the 126th overall pick. Owusu-Ansah was getting a ton of publicity as a potential sleeper pick. Excellent value with that pick in the fourth. I know some folks had him with an early third-round grade.

The New York Giants continued their obsession with improving the defense. Phillip Dillard only started one full season at Nebraska, but he was superb in '09. He's a little small (6-foot, 245), but he has incredible lower-body strength and apparently plays a lot faster and smoother than his body type would suggest.

He didn't make a ton of impact plays for the Cornhuskers, but he's the type of sideline-to-sideline player that Jerry Reese covets. If the Giants can get more penetration up front, players such as Dillard will find a much clearer path to the ball. He's not the type of player who creates his own path, though. I see him playing on the weak side early in his career. Let's remember that he had Ndamukong Suh in front of him last season. That certainly helps.