Eagles vs. Giants: Which Team Had the Better Draft in the NFC East?

After the NFL Draft, it is customary to project winners and losers—those perceived to have done the best job and those who may have missed the mark.

Bradley Locker, a contributor at Pro Football Focus, published a look at his biggest winners from each division. While he was complimentary of the drafts that the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys had, he did not feel that Big Blue or “America’s Team” had the best draft of the four NFC East teams.

Instead, he chose the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Based on what we have seen from Philly in previous drafts, it seems easy to give the Eagles credit for having the best draft, but I don’t necessarily agree. 

Yes, the Eagles had a great draft, but what makes it better than anyone else's in the NFC East, especially the Giants? The Eagles' first-round pick was Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell, who was categorized as a fall in the draft when they took him with the 31st pick.

Locker said the Eagles “pulled off a heist” when they grabbed Campbell. It is difficult to surmise why the media considers some players who fall overvalued while others are considered undervalued. 

Campbell thrived on his athleticism in college, and while those physical attributes transfer, it may take longer for him in the NFL to digest and get accustomed to the mental aspect of the game. Is he a Day 1 starter or major contributor? Only time will tell.

That leaves many questions about whether they should have gone differently in the first round. Locker claimed that the Cowboys and Giants had questionable first-round picks, but one could easily say the same about the Eagles' selection. We do not know whether Campbell will evolve into a stud inside linebacker, a situational edge rusher, or an elite special teamer. 

Many evaluators, including NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein, projected the Eagles' second-round pick, Andrew Mukuba, as a fourth-round pick. Compare that to the Giants' second-round pick (taken in the third round), Toledo defensive tackle Darius Alexander, whom Zierlein projected as a second-round pick.

Both players have been productive and have upside, but that is not a definitive win for the Eagles; in fact, it feels more definitive for the Giants, as Alexander’s path to relevancy seems much more streamlined.