NFC East Draft Preview: Giants Want Jeremiah Love, Cowboys Will Be Cowboys
With the NFL Draft 30 days away, here's how the NFC East's draft boards are shaping up. The Giants are eyeing Jeremiah Love at 5, the Commanders will land a premium edge rusher, and the Cowboys — well, nobody knows what the Cowboys will do.
NFC East Draft Preview: Giants Want Jeremiah Love, Cowboys Will Be Cowboys
The NFL Draft is 30 days out, and the NFC East picture is getting clearer — or at least as clear as it gets when Jerry Jones is involved. Here's the intel on what Philadelphia's rivals are plotting in round one.
New York Giants (Pick 5)
The Giants want Jeremiah Love. That's not a secret anymore. The Notre Dame running back is the best prospect at the position since Bijan Robinson, and New York sees him as the franchise-changer their offense desperately needs.
There's just one problem: Love probably won't be there at 5.
The Tennessee Titans at pick 4 are the threat. Love is widely expected to go top 5, and Tennessee — picking one spot ahead of New York — has him squarely in their sights. If the Titans take Love, the Giants pivot. The most likely fallback? Sonny Styles, the Ohio State inside linebacker who's quietly climbing boards as one of the draft's three blue-chip prospects alongside Love and Caleb Downs.
The Giants not learning from the Saquon Barkley situation — investing a premium pick in a running back while the rest of the roster burns — would be very on-brand. But Love is a different caliber of prospect, and desperate teams do desperate things.
Washington Commanders (Pick 7)
This one's more straightforward. The Jets at pick 2 are taking the best edge rusher available — either David Bailey or Abdul Carter Reese. Whichever one New York takes, the other falls. And the Commanders, picking at 7, are in perfect position to scoop up the remaining premium pass rusher.
Bailey or Reese at 7 is excellent value for Washington. Both are legitimate top-5 talents at a premium position. The Commanders don't need to overthink this one — take the edge rusher, build the defense, and keep it moving.
Dallas Cowboys (Pick 12 and 28)
Nobody knows what the Cowboys are going to do. Including the Cowboys.
The talent says they should go defense at 12 — Mansur Delane, the LSU cornerback who ran a 4.35 at the combine, is a name to watch. Dallas desperately needs secondary help, and Delane's freakish athleticism fits what they're trying to build.
But this is Jerry Jones's team. The Cowboys have too many defensive linemen already, they won't let Will McClay run the draft board the way he should, and history tells us they'll find a way to make an inexplicable reach. At 28, they could address the offensive line or grab a falling receiver — but again, expecting rational behavior from Dallas is a fool's errand.
The most Cowboys outcome? Taking a quarterback nobody expected at 12 because Jerry fell in love with someone's arm at a private workout. Don't put it past them.
What It Means for Philly
The Eagles should be thrilled with how the division is drafting. The Giants might waste a top-5 pick on a running back (again). The Cowboys will Cowboys. And the Commanders are building smart but still years away from serious contention.
At pick 23, Philadelphia has the luxury of watching the chaos unfold above them and picking the best offensive lineman or defender available. In a division where your rivals keep shooting themselves in the foot, the Eagles' biggest threat might be their own indecision at edge rusher — not anything the NFC East does on draft night.
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