Divisional draft preview: NFC East needs

April is good for two things: getting your taxes done and pushing oversized college boys into the top tax bracket of America's work force.

OK, maybe the Uncle Sam tax return part isn't so sweet for most of us but at least we have the NFL Draft as an outlet for our frustrations. The draft is a two-day culmination when countless hours, days, weeks and months of CIA-like investigations and probes into college kids' lives comes to fruition.

Ahmad Carroll might be the choice as the Eagles seek depth at cornerback. (Getty Images)

Our job at SportsLine.com is to prevent what the great GM George Young dubbed "paralysis by over-analysis." The following is the second of eight installments that break down team needs and possible strategies as we prepare for the draft.

We started with the AFC East so we thought in Part II we'd move over to their counterpart in the NFC.

The NFC East is loaded with revamped lineup changes. The Eagles and Redskins made significant additions to their already personnel-rich teams. The Giants and Cowboys, however, went the low-key route, signing lower profile players than the likes of Terrell Owens, Jevon Kearse, Clinton Portis and Mark Brunell.

The Giants are up first in the division with the fourth pick of the draft, although as you'll see, that could change in a hurry.

New York Giants

Sitting at No. 4, this is the highest pick the franchise has had under Ernie Accorsi. But with the team's sights set on a bona-fide stud such as Eli Manning or Robert Gallery, the Giants have already placed calls to the Chargers to move up to the first pick of the draft as well as another team in the top three.

They have also placed calls to teams behind them in case they are sitting at No. 4 without one of their primary targets remaining on the board.

There is a belief by many personnel people that both prospects could be gone by No. 4.

In order to move up, however, the G-Men would need to ship out quite a bit. In fact, according to the draft value sheets -- viewed by SportsLine.com -- used by many teams as the guide for trades, the difference in points between pick No. 1 and No. 4 equals 800 points.

The No. 1 pick in the draft is worth 3,000 points and the No. 4 pick equals 2,200. Thus, if the Giants wanted to move, the chart shows that they would need to trade a bounty that amounts to 3,000 points.

According to the chart, a first-rounder (the fourth pick of the draft valued at 2,200 points) a second-rounder (pick No. 34 valued at 680 points), a fourth-rounder (pick No. 97 valued at 100 points) and a sixth-rounder valued at 20 points adds up to 3,000 points.

Needs: OT, LB, QB, OG, S, K, DE, DT, WR

The Skinny: The team's offensive line performed terribly last season and could afford an upgrade at several spots. However, they mostly need a big, nasty SOB of a tackle opposite Luke Petitgout to not only help quarterback Kerry Collins, but also to free up tight end Jeremy Shockey more for the passing game.

They also need a potential replacement for Collins, which is why they have targeted moving up to grab Manning.

The Giants do not have a single starting linebacker returning, and free-agent pickup Carlos Emmons still needs to get a clean bill of health. They have a few youngsters on the roster they like but each is a question mark. A solid second-or third-rounder can always help.

The only thing Giants fans can be assured of is that New York will draft somebody, probably early, that completely flies in the face of conventional wisdom. They love to pick up guys like Ron Dixon, Joe Montgomery, Sean Bennett, Osi Umenyiora, Visanthe Shiancoe and Brian Alford, hoping to get lucky with each gamble.

Washington Redskins

Dan Snyder has spent his money to win now. He upgraded his roster, but more important, he paid for darn good coaches. After bringing in a bevy of free agents the past two seasons, the Redskins have few holes remaining on their roster.

Trades have bludgeoned their pick lineup, yet they are sitting pretty at No. 5 in Round 1.

Thus, in addition to the big-time players they have acquired the past two years (stars like Portis and Laveranues Coles, former stars like Shawn Springs and Brunell, and potential studs like Marcus Washington and Cornelius Griffin) they will have a chance to pick up one more potential beast for this season.

After that pick though, they can take much of the rest of the draft off as they have shipped most of their picks elsewhere.

Needs: TE, S, pass rushing DE, DT, OG

The Skinny: To deal with the agent or to not deal with the agent, that is the question. The Redskins will have two highly rated players from which to choose from, both of whom could immediately fill a need.

One option is Miami tight end Kellen Winslow, Jr., a young man who many scouts insist is a better weapon than Shockey, his Hurricanes predecessor.

However, Winslow has chosen the Poston brothers as his agents. These are the same agents who have claimed, along with their client, that Washington bilked LaVar Arrington out of $6.5 million in bonus money. They are also notorious for holding out their clients or asking for absurd signing bonuses (i.e., Orlando Pace, Julian Peterson).

Miami safety Sean Taylor is the next "next Ronnie Lott" to emerge in the draft. Actually, he's probably more in line with young rising stars like the Ravens' Ed Reed and the Cowboys' Roy Williams. He would certainly be a safe pick, one coveted by defensive coaches Gregg Williams and Greg Blache.

Will they grab the immediate offensive weapon in Winslow and deal with what they know will be a difficult negotiation, or do they pass and grab Taylor?

Dallas Cowboys

Year 1 of the Big Tuna Show made Jerry Jones extremely happy.

However, Jones recently told SportsLine.com he wasn't sure Dallas is a Super Bowl team yet. He conceded many games they won last year could easily have gone the wrong way. The team addressed its QB-of-the-future need with the trade for Drew Henson. They still have a few needs, however, some glaring in Bill Parcells' eyes.

Dallas had a very solid draft last year, getting value deep into their selection of picks. They might need to duplicate such success in order to take the next step.

Needs: RB, OG, OT, CB, DE, DT

The skinny: Troy Hambrick was given his shot to fill the void in the post-Emmitt Era ... it didn't happen. Now the team will be looking for another immediate impact back early in the draft.

However, they do not have to use a first-rounder for their future back; Parcells plucked one of his favorite players, Curtis Martin, in the third round in 1995.

They should be able to grab one of the top two or three running back prospects with the 22nd pick in the draft. It doesn't look as if there will be a run at the position early. If a guy like Steven Jackson or Kevin Jones could drop, No. 22 would be tremendous value.

Their offensive line had trouble last year finding a consistent lineup, and only Flozell Adams is looked at as a key to return. Ryan Young is gone and Larry Allen never became a Parcells guy.

They also were hit with injuries at center. Parcells loves his big, bad offensive linemen. Look for them to look for at least one but possibly multiple upgrades at the position in the first five rounds.

Terence Newman was a solid player last year as a rookie but the young corner needs a playmate in the secondary.

Despite the signing of Marcellus Wiley, Mike Zimmer's top-rated defense could severely use a feared pass-rushing threat. A solid "tweaner" pass-rushing specialist could be interesting.

Philadelphia Eagles

Give the Birds credit. After losing once again in the NFC Championship Game, this time to the Panthers, many thought the Eagles would allow more vets to fly the coup and their time had passed on by. But the thought of being the Pro Bowl coaching staff again was appalling and the Eagles reloaded with new stars. They gave Donovan McNabb a true threat at wide receiver in Terrell Owens.

They potentially could have upgraded their defense with the signings of Kearse and Dhani Jones.

Needs: LB, RB, C, blocking TE, CB, WR, QB, depth and youth on OL

The skinny: The Eagles could use an upgrade at linebacker and need a potential replacement for Mark Simoneau. Nate Wayne is solid yet unspectacular, and Jones is playing out of position.

They also need a running back to replace the departed Duce Staley in a featured role. More important, they need a man to be able to take the load from playmaker Brian Westbrook in order to preserve his body. L.J. Smith is a solid tight end prospect and Cover-2 buster, but a big, blocking tight end is also needed.

Despite the addition of Owens, another weapon for McNabb is always a possibility. They are set at safety, and despite the drafting of Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown with recent high picks, the Eagles still need a big, tall corner to deal with the likes of division foes Amani Toomer, Keyshawn Johnson and Laveranues Coles.