The Dallas Cowboys foes stocked up with first round picks

It’s Draft Day, finally, for the Dallas Cowboys. Before we find out who the ‘Boys pick on Day Two, let’s review who their divisional rivals added.

With the first round of the draft complete Thursday night, the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins made six first round selections combined. How will the three offensive players and three defensive players make an impact this coming year against the Dallas Cowboys?

With the sixth pick of the first round, the New York Giants selected Duke quarterback Daniel Jones. This pick is not likely to pay dividends for the G-Men in 2019. Most likely, Jones will start the season as incumbent Eli Manning’s understudy much like Manning sat behind future Hall of Famer Kurt Warner for the first nine games of the 2004 season.

The Washington Redskins followed the Giants lead by picking Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins at number fifteen. Alex Smith’s injury forced the Redskins to trade for Case Keenum earlier this offseason.

Now they have their quarterback of the future giving all four NFC East teams starting caliber quarterbacks twenty-six years old or younger. Haskins, regarded by NFL.com as an instant starter, is not the most mobile quarterback which should excite the Hot Boyz.

The Giants made the next NFC East choice at number seventeen, the pick they acquired for trading wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. The G-men selected 342-pound defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from Clemson.

This pick will have an immediate impact on the Cowboys offensive strength – the run game. Cowboys center Travis Frederick and guards Zack Martin and Connor Williams will have their hands and many other body parts full when dealing with Lawrence who is mostly noted for his run stuffing abilities as opposed to his ability to compress the pocket.

The Eagles traded up to land the first offensive tackle, Andre Dillard from Washington. The Eagles have had a strong offensive line for several years with stout tackles Jason Peters and Lane Johnson with a center, Jason Kelce, every bit the equal of the Cowboys All-Pro center.

Maybe Peters has played his last game with the Eagles or maybe they plan to start Dillard at guard but this move reminds me of how the Cowboys built on their strength when they selected Zack Martin in the 2014 draft. Either way, it will probably be a bit harder for the Hot Boyz to harass Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.

In a surprise, the Redskins traded back into the first round to pick edge rusher Montez Sweat from Mississippi State at number twenty-six. Sweat likely slid from his lofty draft grade, NFL.com’s sixth highest rated player, due to a medical condition.

He will slide into a front seven loaded with talent – former first round picks Jonathan Allen, Reuben Foster, Ryan Kerrigan and Daron Payne. It was hard for the Cowboys offense last year against this unit. It will be much harder with Sweat and Foster joining the crowd.

The Giants followed the Eagles and the Redskins by trading up and back into the first round to select cornerback Deandre Baker from Georgia at pick twenty-nine.  Baker played four seasons for the Bulldogs and was named college football’s best defensive back in 2018.

The first two defensive players, in my opinion will have the biggest impact on the Cowboys in 2019. Sweat had 22 sacks his last two college seasons and Lawrence was a beast for the National Champion Clemson Tigers – although he did not play in the college playoffs due to a positive PED test.

The three players on offense, especially the two quarterbacks, likely will not be as much to worry about this coming year. Despite the platitudes shared about every pick last night, the first round still has a very high bust rate. My hope is the Giants, Redskins and Eagles went six for six with first round busts.

How do you think these draft picks will impact the Dallas Cowboys? Who do you think will become a thorn in the ‘Boys side? Let us know in the comment section below.