2012 NFL Draft: 1 Major Flaw Each NFC East Team Must Address

The NFC East.  Traditionally one of the more grueling divisions in the NFL, the league has looked a bit lopsided in recent seasons. 

While the Giants have brought home its second Super Bowl trophy in four years, its division brethren have been inconsistent at best.  The Cowboys and the Eagles have both failed to measure up to their billing on paper and the Redskins have continued to dawdle in mediocrity, to put it mildly. 

But 2012 could be a turn around year, as the Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins will be pulling out all the stops in order to compete with the defending Super Bowl champs. 

The 2012 NFL Draft will provide answers to many of the problem areas each team needs to address. 

Here are my picks for which first-round NFL draft prospects will be the most crucial for each NFC East team to select in 2012. 

Washington Redskins: Quarterback

This shouldn't be too big of a surprise.  Not if you read what I published a week ago on the same subject.

The Redskins have had, at one point or another over the last 15 years, talented players at almost every skill position.  Champ Bailey, Sean Taylor (RIP), Santana Moss, Clinton Portis, Chris Cooley, DeAngelo Hall, etc.

They have not, however, been able to boast a marquee name under center for quite some time.  The quarterback carousel took a turn for the worst in 2010 after Donovan McNabb sputtered, was benched and replaced by former Chicago Bear Rex Grossman.  The rest, as they say, is history.  

For fear of suppressing an occupy-Redskins-Park movement in 2012, the 'Skins need to make an aggressive move to draft a future star in the making in Robert Griffin III.  I know Mel Kiper Jr. has Morris Claiborne coming to DC at No. 6, but trading up to get Griffin will be the surest way to let Redskins nation know that everything is on the up and up.  

Griffin III will be a star, there's little doubt in that.  Missing out on him would be a travesty and he could very well be the catalyst that sparks a renaissance in Washington.    

Dallas Cowboys: Safety

It's not surprising that the Cowboys will be looking for help for their secondary in the 2012 draft.  It's also not surprising that the Crimson Tide would be producing the best safety prospect in this year's draft class. 

Mark Barron decided to finish out his senior year in Tuscaloosa, and boy was it a good decision.  The 6'2", 215-pound safety is a renowned hard-hitter with good football acumen to go along with it. 

The Cowboys were similar to the Redskins in 2011 in that their defenses in the deep third were more than forgettable.  The Roy Williams (the good one) days are over and Cowboys nation would no doubt like to get back to having a dominating force lurking in the secondary. 

Mark Barron could not only provide that over the long term but he figures to plug in and get rolling right out of the gate.  With his athleticism and smarts, he might just be able to positively impact the play of corners Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick.

Philadelphia Eagles: Linebacker

I've seen many an analyst/beat writer naming Arizona State's Vontaze Burfict as the Eagles' first-round pick in the draft. 

I think Kuechly fits better, though. 

Kuechly boasts a lot of smarts and is big at 6'3", 237 pounds, and unlike Burfict, there don't seem to be any character concerns or issues with him picking and choosing his plays. 

Kuechly may not be the pure athlete that Burfict is either, but he makes up for it by always putting himself in good position to make a play.  Had Boston College not had such a down year and been able to attend a bowl, there's little doubt that Kuechly would have broken the 200-tackle mark on the season.

He'll need to put on a few pounds and prove that he can play the sideline-to-sideline game, but Kuechly is a worker and has the propensity to pick up the NFL game quickly. That's good news for the Eagle's who have drafted late-round linebackers like it's going out of style in recent years. 

New York Giants: Tight End

There's no denying that Dwayne Allen, the 2012 Mackey Award winner, is the most complete tight end in this year's draft class.

With Travis Beckum and Jake Ballard all but out of the picture and Mario Manningham looking to flex his free-agent muscles, it's also no secret that the Giants will be seeking a new option in the passing game for 2012. 

Allen, at 6'4", 255 pounds, has prototype tight end size but he also has exceptional quickness and good top-end speed.  Granted, there was next to nothing for Clemson to celebrate about their Orange Bowl loss against West Virginia, but here is a good example of Allen's ability to cover ground.

With a tight end like Allen, Cruz and Nicks should have no problem running the deep routes and giving Eli Manning a larger variety of routes to work with.  

All in all, Dwayne Allen possesses the complete skill-set to make Eli look even more "ELIte" in 2012.