Best, worst draft picks in the NFC East
Now that the NFL Draft is completed, it's time for us to weigh in on bests and worsts. (By the way, the 2024 draft is April 25–27 in Detroit.)
BEST | Eagles, CB Kelee Ringo (fourth round): Philadelphia entered Saturday without fourth or fifth-round selections. By giving Houston a third-round pick in 2024, they got the third pick of the fourth round in this year’s draft and used it to take Georgia’s Kelee Ringo. A top-10 cornerback on most boards, many expected the 6-foot-2 speedster to go in the second round.
NFC: East | West | North | South | AFC: East | West | North | South
According to Pro Football Focus, Ringo clocked in with a speed of 23.5 mph during a recent workout, faster than any NFL player in 2023. Still just 20-years-old, he’ll get to learn from established veterans like Darius Slay and James Bradberry and could even see playing time at safety.
BEST | Cowboys, RB Deuce Vaughn (sixth round): Vaughn had 1,936 yards from scrimmage with 12 touchdowns for Kansas State last season . In 2021, he had 1,872 yards and 22 touchdowns. Had he not been the draft’s shortest player (he’s only 5-foot-5) he certainly would have gone sooner.
His father, Chris Vaughn, is a scout for the Cowboys and watching him tearfully welcome his son to the team was easily the best moment of the draft. Small backs like Boston Scott and Darren Sproles (both 5-foot-6) have played well for rival Philadelphia in recent years, and Vaughn could be the perfect complement to Tony Pollard who is still recovering from ankle surgery.
BEST | Giants, C John Michael Schmitz (second round): Getting the top-ranked player at any position in the second round is good, getting him with an obvious need at the position is even better.
As a four-year starter with Minnesota, there’s not much Schmitz hasn’t seen. He’s an excellent run-blocker and led all centers with a 92.3 PFF grade in 2022. After losing Jon Feliciano and Nick Gates to free agency, the team needed an upgrade over Ben Bredeson and got one in Schmitz.
WORST | Commanders, DB Quan Martin (second round): After taking a 166-pound cornerback with the 16th-overall pick, the Commanders doubled down on the position with another DB. Martin is a versatile player that can be used in the slot or in deep coverage, but Washington’s roster isn’t deep enough to use its top two picks on one position.
WORST | Eagles, QB Tanner McKee (sixth round): Carson Wentz aside, the Eagles like to think of themselves as a quarterback factory. Apparently Philadelphia learned nothing from Jalen Hurts’ injury last year.
When forced to play a pocket-passer like Gardner Minshew in an offense designed for Hurts, the team looked inept. Signing Marcus Mariota was a smart move by the Eagles, but burning a sixth-round pick on another pocket passer was not.
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