Jay Glazer gets the scoop:

The Eagles have acquired Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters from the Bills for the 28th overall pick in next week's draft, FOXSports.com has learned.

Buffalo will also receive a second-day pick in this year's draft, as well as a late-round pick in the 2010 draft.

What does this mean? Well, for our mock draft, and for several other mocks, people aren't necessarily going OT for the Philadelphia Eagles. But, with Philly giving up their 28th pick, it throws a monkey wrench into our community mock draft, which saw JasonB take RB Donald Brown. I can see Mocking Dan tearing out his hair as I type this.

With Philly's #28 in Buffalo's possession, this changes some draft strategy. Buffalo could go the same route as JasonB did and select Brown. Marshawn Lynch is suspended for the first three games this season, and his future in Buffalo is in doubt. Brown is a big, physical back who has good quickness. However, if Buffalo did this, they'd still have a massive hole along the left side of their o-line. BrianG explains:

The Bills will have nine draft picks heading into next weekend's NFL Draft. It's a good thing, too - the Bills now have glaring holes at both left tackle and left guard (the team released OG Derrick Dockery prior to the free agent signing period). This is a huge weight off of the organization's shoulders, as the front office and coaching staff can now adequately begin formulating a draft strategy that doesn't factor in a potential trade. They do, however, now have a lot of work to do.

Buffalo has the 11th  and 28th overall picks in the draft, and it is VERY possible the Bills could shift their focus from finding a pass rusher with their 11th pick to finding someone who can keep their QB upright. In our mock, we have Aaron Maybin going to Buffalo with Michael Oher still on the board. That strategy MAY change with Peters now in an Eagles uniform.

Overall, it seems like a good trade for both teams. We mock drafters will now return to our holes and mutter curses to the Bills and Eagles for making this trade THIS LATE in the process.

A team with a recent history of impressive drafts decided to jump head first into the free agency pond. And when they emerged from the murky waters, they bagged some very impressive fish.

Under the direction of Jerry Reese, the NY Giants went from underachievers to demons of the NFC East. Unlike their Super Bowl year in 2007, last year the Giants were a dominant regular season team. They won the NFC East, and seemed poised to repeat as NFL Champions. But, like many teams trying to repeat, injuries and dumb off-the-field problems (Hi Plaxico! How's the thigh?) tripped up the G Men. They lost in the Divisional Round to the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that has had NY's number in the post-season of late.

Unlike many fans, I do not think Eli Manning is the reason NY lost to Philly in the playoffs. Did he play well? No. But much of the reason he did not play well was due to the fact that NY's WR and TE corps have little playmaking ability. In addition, without Osi Umenyiora and an injured Justin Tuck, the Giants defense wore out down the stretch. When the off-season officially began, Reese set about fixing the one thing that the Giants live and die by: Their defensive line.

Osi is expected back, and his addition will add even more pass rusher punch to a very strong and potent d-line. But now also added is Rocky Bernard, an impressive pass-rushing DT who thrived in Seattle's 4-3 Blitz scheme (which is a similar scheme to the Giants). Though Canty is listed as a DE, he is 6'7, 302 pounds. In NY's system, they will use him as a NT who can hold the point of attack, allowing Bernard, Osi, and Tuck flexibility to get pressure on the QB.

With these signings, it seems pretty clear that the Giants cannot afford to draft a DT or DE in the first or second round. Heck, with the depth (and cap investment) they have now, they may avoid the d-line in the draft entirely.

The more I look at the Giants, the more I think the WR and TE positions need the most work via the draft. An excellent round two prospect (or maybe even round one) is Missouri TE Chase Coffman. Not a sexy pick, but he is the kind of guy that can give Eli Manning that which he needs: A security receiver. If Brandon Pettigrew falls to NY in the first round, they would be wise to take him. As Mocking Dan decrees:

Pettigrew is an NFL-ready tight end with good athleticism and a frame well-suited for the pros. Good enough athleticism to be a serious threat in the passing game. Has solid hands but tends to catch with his body from time to time. Size causes mismatches for defenders. He’s too fast for most linebackers and too big for safeties.

This kind of player would help the Giants create mismatches when teams play zone, and if they drop a safety down on someone like Pettigrew, it will open up WR opportunities downfield. In general, rookie TEs will offer more of an immediate impact than a rookie WR, and since the Giants are built to win now, a TE is a better option.

With the recent news that the NY Football Giants will franchise tag Brandon Jacobs, we thought it would be prudent to start yapping about the team that many thought would repeat in 2008, but came up just a bit short. Say what you will about Eli Manning's stats in the playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but the fact of the matter is NY's defense wore down towards the end of the season, and it was a direct result of not having enough depth after losing Osi Umenyiora to a season-ending injury in pre-season and the retirement of Michael Strahan.

Sure, players like Justin Tuck elevated their game to make up for the player loses, which helped them to a 12-4 regular season record. But when the playoffs come around, a team must have all its ducks lined up. They need to be healthy, deep, and confident. Against the Eagles, the Giants had none of the three. Tuck wore out by the end of the game, and the Philly offense was able to hold the ball at the end. The lose of WR Plaxico Burress was also a blow to the Giants, though a necessary one. Burress was a distraction, and even with him and his baggage in the lineup, the Giants would likely have still have lost to Philly.

Despite the playoff lose, the Giants enter 2009 with very few weaknesses. The loss of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnolo might be their biggest personnel adjustment. They should have back a healthy Umenyiora and Tuck to bookend their pass rush, and with the emergence of Kenny Phillips, Aaron Ross, and Corey Webster in the secondary, the pride of the Giants (their defense) should be strong in 09. Key to NY retaining the NFC East title and getting back to the Championship Game is drafting to improve their WR and TE positions. They could also use a big upgrade at LBer and possibly DT.

I think WR and TE are the need positions. Eli Manning has proven that he can make things happen. He is a battle-tested QB who does not wilt under pressure. However, is only reliable receiver is Steve Smith (who is Mr. 3rd Down). The Giants need another reliable, strong route-running receiver, especially is Amani Toomer leaves via free agency. Here's what Mocking Dan thinks (so far) for the Giants in round one:

29. New York Giants
	Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina: Plaxico Burress probably won't be back, Amani Toomer isn't getting any younger and Domenik Hixon doesn't look like anything for than a second receiver. Nicks has good size and has good hands, two attributes the team didn't lost when Burress was suspended.

Another strong candidate who could be there in the late-first round is Penn State's Derrick Williams.

The Washington Redskins started the 2008 season very hot. They won 6 of their first 8 games, but one of those first two loses were against to dreadful St. Louis Rams and Cleveland Browns. The lose to the Rams was a pre-cursor for what was to come. The Skins went 2-6 for the remainder of the season. For the first 8 games, Clinton Portis was an MVP candidate and new head coach Jim Zorn was the toast of Washington. When the season ended, people were openly asking for Zorn’s head on a plate, and wondering out loud if Portis was done. Such are the winds in Washington.

Regardless of who is to blame, the fact is the Redskins averaged only 12.5 points per game during the second half of the season. They cracked the 20 point barrier only twice, and lost the only game they went over 20 points. Football Outsiders ranked them #15 in the league in offensive efficiency, but that is a very misleading ranking. When your offense averages roughly 12 ppg over an 8 game stretch, consider yourself lucky they didn’t go 0-8. "Efficiency" means nothing if you don’t score, and points in this man’s NFL come out of the passing game, boys and girls.

Now, when examining how the Redskins will approach the draft, one might as well try their hand at predicting the weather using a tin foil hat and a pair of TV antennae. The Redskins are woefully erratic at the NFL Draft, which is why their team has been up and down (mostly down) since the days of Mark Rypien, Earnest Byner, and a league with no salary cap. So, unlike the NY Giants and Philadelphia Eagles (who are outstanding at drafting, and follow a specific pattern of player evaluation), my analysis of the Redskins is not what they will do. It is what they SHOULD do.

Trust me, I’d prefer to blog about what they will do because I find that more interesting, personally. But since Redskins owner Daniel Snyder is so meddlesome, it is damn near impossible to predict what Redskins GM Vinny Cerrato will do on draft day. Cerrato has the right mentality to build this team through the draft, but Snyder’s presence makes such a philosophy nearly impossible. And if you can’t build through the draft (or refuse to), then your team will not win many football games. Again, this is a team that managed to con Mike Dykta into giving up his entire draft in 1999 so he could take Ricky Williams, and even with all those draft picks, the Skins STILL couldn’t make a champion. And while all this may come off as harsh, I say it because I think I share my draft frustration with Redskins fans: It is brain busting to try and figure out what Washington will do in late-April. I know that has to drive Skins fans batty.

So, when you see me doing pre-draft evaluations for the Skins, please keep all this in mind. My focus with them is what they should do, not what they will do. I don’t think Jesus could predict what they will do. Far too many variables affect Washington’s decisions on draft day. That said, I think the focus of the draft for the Skins will indeed be their offense; in particular the offensive line and running back positions.

Like most Redskins fans, even Jesus has been driven to

drink because of their past drafts