The NFC East is an interesting beast. It brings four teams together, who have been battling in the trenches for as long as many of our parents can remember football. It also brings a hard-nosed approach to it on a weekly basis. 

Over the last few years one other word has come to define the NFC East during the regular season, "mediocrity." The Dallas Cowboys have taken the eventual division winner to the final week, and final game of the regular season slate; only to come up short each time. Outside of an amazing New York Giants run to the Lombardi two years ago, this division has left a lot to be desired. 

Robert Griffin III brought his new brand of football to D.C, but injuries forced him to play against the Seattle Seahawks at nowhere near 100 percent. As a result, the only team to earn a postseason berth from the NFC East was knocked out in the first round. In total, this division has sent only one team to the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. The Philadelphia Eagles look to challenge Washington for the division, or at least break that trend and return to the postseason for the first time in four seasons, under new head coach Chip Kelly. 

Lets take a look at what each team did in the annual draft last week/weekend. 

The Dallas Cowboys started their draft with a "WTF" moment by trading down from 18 to 31 with the San Francisco 49ers and picking up a player I had a fourth-round grade on, center Travis Frederick from Wisconsin. In addition, all they could nab from San Francisco in this deal with a third-round pick in return. Dallas didn't receive value in the trade and acquired even lesser value with the selection. While Frederick does fill a position of need, the Cowboys could have likely got him with the third-round pick they acquired from San Francisco. Jerry Jones' response doesn't work here either. He said interior line options fell off the board from 18-to-31. Who, Kyle Long and Justin Pugh? 

Dallas did rebound be picking up Gavin Escobar in the second. While tight end wasn't necessarily a need, the San Diego State product is a dynamic pass-catching tight end and will add a lot to the passing game with Tony Romo. I applaud Dallas for that savvy move. Terrance Williams was great value in the third round and could easily come in as the Cowboys No. 3 wide receiver out of camp. He is as sure handed as they come and possesses solid upside. J.J. Wilcox was also a nice add in the third. The small-school product played only one year of defense in college, but already possess plus-coverage skills. Again, his upside as a cover free safety is pretty high. That being said, I am not sure how much of an impact he'll make as a rookie. Webb, Randle and Holoman represented real value, but I wonder why Dallas didn't go in the direction of Johnathan Franklin instead of Webb in the fourth. He represented better value than Randle in the sixth and seems to fit the Cowboys mold of looking for a possible replacement for the oft-injured DeMarco Murray. Overall, this draft leaves a lot to be desired, but Dallas did get some value in the mid-to-late rounds. It's the Frederick pick that has everyone stumped. Overall Grade: C- (70.2 percent). 

It seems that some teams panicked the minute that offensive lineman went off the board early and often. One such team was the New York Giants, who picked up a tackle/guard that most experts, including myself, had slated with a third-round grade. They did so with the likes of Tyler Eifert, Alec Ogletree, Manti Te'o, Kevin Minter and Arthur Brown; all positions of need, still on the board. No value for a player that likely won't be much more than an slightly above-average starter in the NFL. 

Where the Giants did miss in the first round, they made four really good picks after that. Johnathan Hankins represented top-25 value at a need position. He can play nearly every single position along the defensive line and is a long-term replacement for the recently signed Cullen Jenkins. In the third round, New York nabbed Damontre Moore, who was considered a top-10 pick prior to a series of bad postseason performances. The Texas A&M product will be a rotational player and comes in to replace Osi Umenyiora. He is a fall-back option once the Giants decide Justin Tuck is too rich for his production. 

While the Giants did trade multiple picks to move up for Ryan Nassib in the fourth round, they did so with the understanding that he represented tremendous value and could be used as trade bait. It's easy to question this selection with Eli Manning entrenched in as the starter and one of the better backups in the NFL in David Carr, but the Giants were again looking to the future. Cooper Taylor was an intriguing selection. He is a high-ceiling safety who had to transfer from Georgia Tech to Richmond after injury concerns. He was ultimately cleared to play for the Spiders. Taylor should contribute immediately on special teams and as a depth player at strong safety. Despite reaching for Pugh in the first round, the Giants came back strong for the remainder of the draft. Lets just see how their defensive line picks play out. After all, the likes of Linval Joseph and Marvin Austin, two recent draft picks, haven't done too well. Overall Grade: B (82.9 percent) 

One of the most underrated drafts in the league. As you can see above, I gave the Philadelphia Eagles a straight A with their first seven selections. They filled a need at tackle with the uber-athletic offensive tackle in the form of Lane Johnson. He can come in and immediately hold down the fort at left tackle if Jason Peterson doesn't return near 100 percent. If Peters, one of the best left tackles in the NFL, comes back at 100 percent; Johnson can earn some experience and maturation as a right tackle. I see absolutely nothing wrong with this selection. 

As most of you already know, I am not terribly high on Zach Ertz as a NFL tight end. That being said, he couldn't have gone into a better situation with Philadelphia. Its spread offense, which will be implemented under first-year head coach Chip Kelly, fits Ertz well. He does great in space and is one of the better route running tight ends in the draft. Because of fit/need more than value, I will go ahead and give Philadelphia an A there. Bennie Logan might not have gotten a lot of play leading up to the draft, but he can be a versatile player in the Eagles' new 3-4 scheme. He can play both inside and outside and is a solid run stuffer from multiple techs. 

The final four selections that I grade here are all winning. I had a late- second-round grade on Matt Barkley. To get him in the fourth round is a steal. It also enables Philadelphia to go with a three-man competition at quarterback in training camp. While lacking upside, Barkley is the most pro-ready quarterback in the 2013 NFL Draft. At the very least, Philadelphia could groom Barkley and then trade him for a higher-round pick later. That was a no-brainer for the Eagles in the fourth. The additions of Earl Wolff, Joe Kruger and Jordan Poyer in the mid-to-late rounds were absolute steals and fit positions of need. Wolff could actually earn a starting safety spot,  while Kruger is a perfect fit in the 3-4. Meanwhile, Poyer had second-round talent and fell to the seventh. Overall, the Eagles had one of the best drafts in the NFL. Overall Grade: A (94 percent) 

The Washington Redskins went into the draft to upgrade a weak secondary and pretty much hit gold in that category, but struggled finding need/value anywhere else. David Amerson had a NCAA-high 13 interceptions in 2012, but was burnt more than an oiled up meth head this past season with North Carolina State. Amerson's best role might be as a bump corner or free safety in the NFL. That being said, Washington  addressed its safety issues later in the draft. This means that it likely views Amerson as a outside corner. 

The selection of Jordan Reed doesn't make a whole lot of sense here. Fred Davis returned on a one-year contract and Logan Paulsen probably played well enough to be the 'Skins No. 2 tight end. Couldn't they have found better value at a need position in the third? 

In addition, selecting two running backs with Alfred Morris and Evan Royster on the roster made little sense. It made even less sense considering that Robert Griffin III is good for 5-10 rushes per game. How are Chris Thompson and Jawan Jamison going to produce with those players taking up a vast majority of Washington's rushing attempts. 

I do love where Washington went for the remainder of the draft. Brandon Jenkins would have likely been a  late first-round pick if it wasn't for missing the entire 2012 season with injury. He has a tremendous amount of upside as a pass rusher. Washington's selection of Phillip Thomas in the fourth round was an absolute steal at a need position. I had a second-round grade on the Fresno State product. He could beat out Reed Doughty at free safety as a rookie. Bacarri Rambo in the sixth was another absolutely steal. Pair those two up in the back end of the defense for the next 5-10 years and a weakness becomes an immediate strength. 

Overall, Washington did a decent job here. I just don't get the tight end and running back selections. Those weren't areas of need and with a lack of a first-round pick, the 'Skins should have looked in another direction at areas that they need to fix in order to be considered serious contenders. Overall Grade: B (82.2 percent) 

Best Value Pick: Matt Barkley, Quarterback (Philadelphia Eagles) and Jordan Poyer, Cornerback (Philadelphia Eagles). 

Biggest Reach: Travis Frederick, Center (Dallas Cowboys) 

Best Draft: Philadelphia Eagles

Worst Draft: Dallas Cowboys

Biggest Impact Offensive Player: Lane Johnson, Offensive Tackle (Philadelphia Eagles) 

Biggest Impact Defensive Player: Phillip Thomas, Safety (Washington Redskins)