2024 NFL Draft Review: One pivotal rookie for each NFC East squad

The 2024 NFL Draft brought some interesting talent to the NFC East, which sets up some questions for each team. 

Can the Dallas Cowboys solidify their offensive line? Can the Philadelphia Eagles sure up their defensive secondary? Have the Washington Commanders finally found their man at quarterback? Can the New York Giants build on their young defensive unit?

2024 NFL Draft selections who can answer those questions

In looking at what each team did in the draft, NFL Mocks highlighted a player who could be pivotal in addressing their team needs.  Which rookies can change the game for their respective teams and therefore perhaps change the outcome of the NFC East?

Dallas Cowboys – OL Cooper Beebe (Round 3– Selection No. 73)

The Cowboys drafted tackle Tyler Guyton in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but it is their third-round pick who could be the most pivotal rookie for Dallas.

Selected with the No. 73 pick overall it the draft, offensive lineman Cooper Beebe may play more of a role than Guyton in Year 1 due to his versatility.  The two-time Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the year is tabbed as a future starter to eventually replace Zach Martin, but also has the versatility to play center which could help further stabilize the Cowboys offensive line.

Standing at 6-foot-4, 335 pounds, Beebe may just have a chance to compete for that starting center role vs Brock Hoffman.  Given the way he competes, the Cowboys will find a way to utilize him in some way during his rookie season.

Early in camp, the Kansas State product looks as good as advertised and has impressed Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.

“He looks good. What you really appreciate from him is he carried (his college performance) over to the pro practice,” McCarthy said Thursday. “I was really impressed with his contact balance as a college player at K-State and you can see it right away in the first 9-on-7 and some of the pass protection reps because we had rankly too many people on the ground yesterday, I think we had eight of em, that’s too much but I think that’s a real strength of him. That’s part of being an anchor in there.”

McCarthy went on to say that Beebe will just need reps to really find his comfort on the next level.  But his ability to play tackle, center and guard makes him a key asset on that Cowboys offensive line. Thus far, looks like he’s making his play as the starting center.

New York Giants – S Tyler Nubin (Round 2– Selection No. 47)

The easy and obvious choice here is first-round pick Malik Nabers, but a second-round pick Tyler Nubin will be the rookie making an impact on defense from the safety position.

Selected with the No. 47 overall pick, the Giants had to fill the void left by Xavier McKinney, who signed a huge deal with the Green Bay Packers in free agency.  With Jason Pinnock and Dane Belton as the top two safeties, the Giants pounced on the Minnesota product who was slotted as one of the best safeties entering the draft.

With his versality as a defender, Nubin could be a game-changer on defense for the Giants, especially if he lives up to his skillset in the NFL.  Post-NFL Draft, Giants General Manager Joe Schoen laid out the importance of Nubin being available for the Giants in the second round.

“There was but we were very, very fortunate to get (Tyler) Nubin there, a guy that we spent a lot of time with. He had an injury. We went out to his pro day when he was healthy to see him out there,” Schoen said, via the team’s official website.  “Obviously losing X in the off-season, to get Nubin at that value, a guy with high character, leadership, smart, tough, dependable, and then the 13 career interceptions. Just a good football player. Culture changer at the University of Minnesota and he's going to bring that type of mentality here, and I think that will come out tomorrow when you guys meet with him and spend some time with him. Just a really special kid that's a good football player.”

Will he morph into a special player for the G-Men is the question.  If he does right away, the Giants’ defense could make life difficult for opposing offenses in the NFC East.

Philadelphia Eagles – CB Quinyon Mitchell (Round 1– Selection No. 22)

The Eagles biggest draft need entering the 2024 NFL Draft was the secondary.  The team double dipped at the position with the selection of Toledo standout star Quinyon Mitchell with the No. 22 overall pick and Iowa’s Cooper DeJean in the second round.  Although both rookies will be pivotal, the nod goes to Mitchell based on his ceiling.

With blazing speed and extreme cornerback skills, Mitchell has the capability of being a lockdown cornerback in the NFL.  The question is how quickly he can elevate his elite skills to the next level.  The good news is with Darius Slay holding down the No. 1 spot, there isn’t an overwhelming expectation for the first-round pick to step in right away as a No. 1 corner, but he will be counted on to form a solid duo with Slay at the cornerback position.

Thus far, through camp and with a couple of preseason games under his built, the explosive cornerback is living up to the hype.  Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is hype about Mitchell’s potential within the defense.

"I thought he did well," Fangio following the team’s preseason opener, via The Philadelphia Inquirer. "He played both nickel and outside corner. He's a good player and he's going to be a good player, we just have to be careful not to overload his plate too much. Because nickel is a full-time position as well as corner, and he's having to learn both right now. And they're two drastically different positions. So we have to constantly monitor that to make sure he's capable of doing that."

The key will be patience, but Mitchell could help make the Eagles a complete team defensively.  If he’s a rookie of the year candidate by the end of the season, Philly will be in great position to make a deep playoff run.

Washington Commanders – QB Jayden Daniels (Round 1– Selection No. 2)

It all starts with Jayden Daniels in Washington.  Can the Heisman Trophy winner take command of a Commanders’ offensive loaded with talent?

Labeled as a poor man’s Lamar Jackson entering the draft, the dual threat quarterback will be out to make a name for himself in the NFL and he has the right offensive coordinator to do just that.  With the hiring of Kliff Kingsbury, the Commanders brought in an OC who will find ways to utilize Daniels’ strengths and his ability as a quarterback with arm talent and an above average ability to create plays with his legs.

In all, Daniels has impressed so far in the preseason.  In the team’s 13-6 loss to the Miami Dolphins, Daniels completed 10 of his 12 attempts for 78 yards.  Both of his drives resulted in points which is a positive for a team that struggled a bit offensively in 2023.

What makes Daniels pivotal will be that ability to make the Commanders a multi-dimensional offense that will drive excitement in the capitol city and make this Washington squad a team to be reckoned with in the NFC East.

As far as what Daniels has done in the preseason, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn likes what he’s seeing.

"He had another really good outing," Quinn said, via ESPN. "The accuracy, the decision-making of where to go. He really is a unique competitor. But, yes, he was in trouble again with the head coach."

Looks like the Commanders may finally have their man.