A quick looks at the other NFC East SB Nation sites for fan reactions to Day 2 of the draft

Bleeding Green Nation

The Eagles expressed more puzzlement following a first round pick that left many Philly fans scratching their heads. The BGN writers were fairly brief, but to the point:

JALEN HURTS

In an ABSOLUTE STUNNER, the Eagles select quarterback Jalen Hurts with the No. 53 pick on Friday night. A QUARTERBACK.

Needless to say, there were a wide range of reactions, including a welcome by his new teammates, a whole lot of confusion, and some optimism.

Howie Roseman later said that they were in the business of developing quarterbacks (he’s said this before in less defensive situations) and that Hurts will provide a valuable backup, and could potentially be ‘flipped’ for draft picks in a couple of years.

DAVION TAYLOR

At the tail end of the third round, the Eagles used their No. 103 compensatory pick on linebacker Davion Taylor out of Colorado. Taylor is a fast player who is seen as someone who can be versatile... but, he also doesn’t have the most experience. Which of course, has led to quite a variety of reactions.

Blogging the Boys

The Cowboys writers went to external sources to find out what grades Jerry Jones was getting for his efforts. They titled the article, “2020 NFL Draft Second-Day Grades: “Jerry Jones is crushing this draft”

51. Dallas Cowboys - Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Grade: A+

The Cowboys get their second steal of the draft and fill a big need at cornerback in the wake of losing Byron Jones in free agency. Diggs offers good size (6-1, 205 pounds), strength and downfield speed. He shot up the board quickly during his big senior season (three interceptions in 12 games).

82. Dallas Cowboys - Neville Gallimore, DL, Oklahoma

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Grade: A

The Cowboys go back to Oklahoma after getting CeeDee Lamb in the first round with another terrific value pick to address their need for increased depth in their defensive line rotation. Gallimore (6-2, 304 pounds) packs a powerful, relentless punch for his size.

Winners - Cowboys

Bryan DeArdo, CBSSports.com - Winner: Cowboys

Dallas enters the winners’ circle for a second straight day. A day after watching receiver CeeDee Lamb fall to them with the 17th pick, the Cowboys were just as fortunate on Day 2. With the 51st pick, they were able to acquire former Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs, a Day 1 talent who helps the Cowboys fill the void left by Byron Jones’ departure in free agency. Diggs could have easily been the team’s first-round pick had Lamb not been available.

The Cowboys, who needed to address their defensive line, were then able to pick up former Oklahoma defensive Neville Gallimore, the fourth-ranked defensive lineman and the 36th-best prospect in the draft, according to CBS Sports. Both players should make an immediate impact for the Cowboys, who significantly improved their roster during the first two days of the draft.

It seems fair to say that the Cowboys fans are happy.

Big Blue View

After drafting Andrew Thomas in the first round, the Giants went safety in the second round (Xavier McKinney) and then came back for another offensive lineman in Round 3, selecting Matt Peart, a guy that some mock drafts had going to the Redskins at #66 overall.

Here’s some of the analysis from BBV:

How badly did the New York Giants want Alabama safety Xavier McKinney with the 36th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft? Badly enough that GM Dave Gettleman, without another pick until No. 99 near the end of Round 3, rejected an offer to move down from 36 and collect additional picks in order to take McKinney.

“We had made up our mind that if Xavier fell to us we were taking him,” Gettleman said. “We did have something if Xavier had been gone we did have a team willing to move up and we would have moved back. But, we felt the value of getting Xavier there was just too good to pass up.

“We had a first-round value on him, and we’re absolutely thrilled to get him.

This comment cherry picked from the bottom of the article seemed to represent the feelings of the readers:

The extra picks would be nice but you can’t pass on a 1st round grade who should start right away

Good pick

They also discussed the Peart selection:

The New York Giants select another offensive tackle with the 99th selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. UCONN’s Matt Peart, a very long and athletic lineman, who needs a bit more time to add strength and technique. I 100 percent support doubling down on the tackle position. Giants’ fans can attest, it’s been way too long since this team has had competent young offensive tackles; the Giants added two of them in the first two days of the draft.

He has to improve technique with his feet and hands, while also getting a bit stronger, but I like this selection. New York isn’t necessarily in a spot to make “luxury” selections, but Peart’s upside, and the current board, make me feel comfortable with this pick. Peart and Andrew Thomas can form a young, LONG, offensive tackle tandem to combat DeMarcus Lawerence, Chase Young, and Brandon Graham.

This is cherry picked from the comments that followed the article:

I’ve been banging the drum

About fixing the OL. Very happy to see us double dip on Tackles.

Protecting Dimes and creating more chances for Saquon to get to the second level need to be our top priorities.

Thomas and Peart is a great start. Now add a C and we should all be happy!

Hogs Haven

The mock drafters expressed dismay when Antonio Gibson was selected at 66.

Firstly, he was announced by Goodell as a running back, though he is probably more of a receiver, or a player in the mold of Christian McCaffrey or Chris Thompson, and we all know that running back isn’t a need.

Secondly, the armchair GMs were convinced that Gibson could’ve been drafted in the 4th round or later, so he didn’t represent good value.

After looking at his highlights, the Hogs Haven members who had immediately cried foul, but who hadn’t seen Gibson play before, started to settle down a bit, but there is probably a general feeling among HH readers that the Redskins missed some opportunities to plug holes in the roster in order to make a pick that they don’t really love.

Personally, I think Gibson is gonna change a lot of minds when he gets on the field, but unless and until that happens, I suspect there will be a vague sense of disquiet in which fans will have to comfort themselves with the thought that Kyle Smith has proven himself to be pretty good at this drafting business over the past three years.

Summary

Yesterday, I closed a similar article that looked at the first round with grades that I thought each fan base would give their own front offices.

Today, I thought I’d simply provide a list of descriptive words and phrases that I think describe the mood of each fan base regarding what happened in rounds 2 and 3.

Eagles - puzzlement and simmering discontent, an uneasy feeling that this draft isn’t going quite the way it should.

Redskins - vague discomfort and unease; a need to chant under their collective breaths: “In Kyle we trust”.

Giants - comfortable and pleasantly pleased, but not thrilled.

Cowboys - exuberant; convinced they’ll be super-bowl bound as soon as Dak Prescott signs on the dotted line.