Dallas Cowboys:
Defensive End (5/5): The Cowboys’ needs are nearly identical to the Redskins’. At the defensive end position, Greg Ellis is a very solid starter on one side, but his bookend is a question mark. Last season, the Cowboys brought it Marcellus Wiley to fill this position. Wiley was a great disappointment, however, and has since departed in free agency to Jacksonville. Kenyon Coleman will assume the starting role if everything remains unchanged. The Cowboys have had a lot of poor luck at this position recently. Every starter seems to become mired in ineffectiveness. Eric Ogbogu is an adequate depth player, but is best suited to seeing limited action. With two first round selections, the Cowboys will be in a position to address this need. An aggressive sack-threat would also free up Ellis, who was too often seen double-teaming and chipping by running backs, because of the lack of pressure from the weakside.
Wide Receiver (5/5): Immobile Drew Bledsoe will not benefit from having a lack of speed in his receiving corps. If Terry Glenn returns and contributes, he can provide some spark to the unit. Keyshawn Johnson is not a threat beyond 15 yards; he is the encyclopaedic definition of a possession receivers. Quincy Morgan was acquired from the Browns last season, but was as inconsistent with the Cowboys as he had been in the years in Cleveland. Youngsters Terrance Copper and Patrick Crayton showed potential last season, but are still definite works-in-progress. Many experts project that the Cowboys have targeted either Troy Williamson or Mark Clayton with one of their first-round selections. Either one would add much-needed speed and ability to stretch secondaries to this unit.
Cornerback (4/5): This might still be as pressing a need as defensive end. Terrance Newman regressed in his second season and will need to bounce back in 2005 and recapture his 2003 form, where he made a near-seamless transition from college to pro. Opposite Newman, Pete Hunter succumbed to injury and his replacements were young and extremely ineffective. Young corners Nathan Jones, Lance Frazier, and Jacques Reeves were routinely beaten for big gains and were often completely out of sync with their assignments. Rookie Bruce Thornton made no contribution in his rookie season. The Cowboys paid top dollar for Anthony Henry in free agency. Henry is a player who has put up big interception numbers in the past, but he has never been seen as a true “shutdown” guy. The Cowboys need a bounce back season from Newman, and they would be wise to bring in someone to push Henry to excel on the other side.
Other needs: Strong safety, right tackle, depth at linebacker.
Wide Receiver (3/5): The Philadelphia Eagles possess one of the premier wide receivers in pro football. Terrell Owens was as good as advertised last season, from opening day to the Super Bowl. Owens should real toughness coming back from his leg injury to contribute mightily to the Eagles’ offensive effort in Super Bowl XXXIX. Now the Eagles need to install a playmaker opposite Owens and in doing so give themselves one of the most deadly offenses in the league. As it stands now, Todd Pinkston is a poor complement to Owens, and Freddie Mitchell’s self-promotion vastly exceeds his productivity. Although Pinkston posted a gaudy 18.8 yard-per-game average, he only hauled down one touchdown last season. Greg Lewis showed flashes of brilliance in limited action last season. He is a player to watch in 2005, and may be poised for a serious breakout year. Drafting at the penultimate spot in the first round, the Eagles will not be able to land Braylon Edwards or Mike Williams unless they deal up quite a bit. But they may be within range of former Sooner Mark Clayton or UAB’s Roddy White and could do some serious good to their offense by selecting either.
Right defensive end (3/5): Derrick Burgess came into his own in last year’s playoffs. His performance against Atlanta was one of the great individual defensive performances of the postseason. Now, Burgess is a Raider, and the Eagles will be relying N.D. Kalu to replace him. Kalu had been the starter until last season, when an ACL tear ruined his season. How far he is back from that injury could go a long way in determining the Eagles’ draft strategy. Even if he does make it back, Kalu will be 30 years old in August and has only started an entire season once, that being in 2003. Jerome McDougle should have made an authoritative claim to this position by now, but his career is stuck in neutral. Hugh Douglas is also under contract, but he is clearly not the same player that he was during his first stint in Philadelphia. This is an attractive position for a young end to come into. Playing opposite Jevon Kearse guarantees a healthy share of single-team blocking and the chance to post impressive sack numbers very quickly.
Linebacker (2/5): Dhani Jones is a solid starter on the strongside. Jeremiah Trotter made a nice return to prominence with the Eagles last season, restoring intimidation to the middle of the defensive unit. But Trotter is still only a two-down defender and the Eagles made only a lukewarm effort to resign him this offseason. Onetime starting weakside linebacker Nate Wayne was cut. Current starting weakside linebacker Mark Simoneau, who replaced the ineffective Wayne last season, is only a slightly better option than Wayne. Keith Adams, a high-intensity special teamer, logged significant playing time here during the Super Bowl run and has been resigned. But the Eagles lost a valuable contributor in Ike Reese. Reese was a staple in the nickel package and his athleticism will be sorely missed. Moreover, there is next to no proven depth behind the starters, other than Adams. Jason Short and Mike Labinjo backup at strongside and middle linebacker, respectively, and the two players combined to log time in only six games last season.
Other needs: Guard, running back, tight end.
Defensive tackle: Last season, the N.Y. Giant’s played very decent pass defense. Unfortunately, opposing team did not have to worry about moving the ball through the air when they were able to put up prodigious number on the ground against the G-men, to the tune of 135.1 yards per game. This all begins with weakness in the middle. Fred Robbins was a respectable free agent addition. He made 40 tackles and contributed 5 sacks and two forced fumbles to the team’s defensive effort. William Joseph failed to emerge as expected, however, and the Giants may have a very substantial draft bust on their hands. Joseph suited up in 12 contests last season and never managed more than 4 tackles in one game. As well, he posted a meager 2.0 sacks for the year. He was certainly not the tone-setting defender the Giants had hoped they were getting when they selecting him in the first round in 2003. Worse is the fact that proven depth is not to be found. Lance Legree, Normand Hand, and Martin Chase are gone. Unproven Damane Duckett, Davern Williams, and ex-Steeler Kendrick Clancy are the backup options. Look for the Giants to upgrade this position early in the draft.
Left tackle (4/5): Starter Luke Pettitgout is solid enough when healthy. But injuries have dogged him in the past and he is quickly approaching 30. The Giants would be in serious trouble if he went down. Credit the organization with going out and signing a proven LT in fomer-Jet Kareem McKenzie. This will only help Eli Manning’s acclimation to the NFL. Now the team needs to add quality depth at the left tackle position, where only Brandon Winey and Morgan Pears back up Petitgout. If they do not address this need in the draft, the Giants put themselves in a situation where they will have to shuffle players around in the event that Petitgout goes down. And Giants fans will well remember the nightmares the team has had in the past few seasons when forced to compensate for injuries by shuffling starters around.
Running back (4/5): This is not an indictment of Tiki Barber, one of the most versatile and electrifying running backs in the league. Rather, it is a reflection of the fact that Barber turns 30 in early April and experts recognize this as the age where running back begin a precipitous drop in effectiveness. That said, Barber should still be very productive in the running and passing games for the two to three seasons. Given the fact that he touches the ball a lot, however, the Giants would be wise to add some depth behind him. Slow-footed Ron Dayne’s Giant career has at last drawn to a close. That means role-player Mike Cloud currently backs-up Barber. Unproven Derrick Ward is the third-stringer. The Giants should locate a back who can take some carries away from Barber, thereby prolonging the latter’s career and enhancing his effectiveness.
Other needs: Weakside linebacker, cornerback, quarterback.
Washington Redskins:
Cornerback (5/5): Defence is the heart and soul of this team. In 2004, the Redskins’ defence kept the team floating above the mark of respectability. Gregg Williams’ unit was fierce, aggressive, tenacious, and even dominant. A key part of this was the cornerback pairing of Fred Smoot and Shawn Springs. Springs brought toughness, leadership, and experience to the secondary and Smoot matured tremendously last season, showcasing his coverage skills and even contributing as a run defender, something he was not known for previously. But Smoot has departed in free agency to the Vikings. As things stand now, veteran Walt Harris is slated to replace him. Harris a solid corner, but one best suited for use as a nickel defender. Garnell Wilds did well in limited action last season. And the Redskins signed former Bear and Brown Roosevelt Williams in free agency. But the void created at the cornerback position will likely require the Redskins to select a corner with their 9th overall pick, with “Pac Man” Jones from West Virginia most frequently mentioned as a possible selection.
Wide Receiver (4/5): The starting pair will be new. Santana Moss was acquired from the Jets in return for Laveraneus Coles. Rod Gardner will likely be moved in a trade or will be released. David Patten was signed as a free agent, after the Patriots declined to retain him. Both are capable receivers, undersized perhaps, but quick and productive nonetheless. What Washington needs to add to its receiving corps is size and red zone potentiality. One receiver with size, Darnerian McCants, was virtually ignored by Joe Gibbs for most of last season and saw very little playing time. Taylor Jacobs is a holdover from the Spurrier regime and has produced very little in his two seasons in the league. James Thrash rounds out the receiving corps. Thrash is more valuable as a special team at this point in his career.
Defensive End (3/5): Again, the Redskins will lean heavily on their defence this season, as the offence searches to develop a personality. The Redskins were able to get very solid play from Renaldo Wynn last season. Wynn is a very capable two-way defender. On the other side, Ron Warner and Demetric Evans logged most of the snaps, subbing for the injured Phillip Daniels. Young Ryan Boschetti made a positive contribution last season, and could fine a niche for himself as part of a rotation. The team still has the option of employing Lavar Arrington as a rush-end in passing situations. This is a defence that is able to generate considerable pressure through innovative blitzing. But this is a high-risk, high-reward tactic. Locating a 10-12 sack end in the draft would give Williams the luxury of being able to generate pressure without selling out his linebackers and safeties.
Other needs: Right tackle, middle linebacker, quarterback