When teams go through the draft exercise they sometimes make the mistake of drafting for need as oppose to taking the best player available. Combine that with the panic move of taking a player at a position that is going off the board quickly and it’s no wonder we frequently see draft busts with players taken too high that never live up to their draft status. Below are the ten biggest reaches in this year’s draft:
1. Roberto Aguayo, K, Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted 59th overall out of Florida State
He was an incredible kicker at Florida State. He’ll probably be a great NFL kicker, too. But you never take a kicker in the 2nd round. Rookie mistake by the Bucs.
2. Eli Apple, CB, New York Giants drafted 10th overall out of Ohio State
The Giants had Vernon Hargreaves available at 10 and almost everybody viewed him as the best corner in the draft. The Bucs were doing cartwheels when he fell to them at 11 and rumors are the Saints were ready to take him at 12. Apple’s grades are all over the place. Questionable decision.
3. Keanu Neal, SS, Atlanta Falcons drafted 17th overall out of Florida
Neal was ranked between 40th and 60th overall on almost all draft boards. The Falcons desperately need help in their secondary but this feels like a major reach. The fact that his GM slipped and called him “Keanu Reeves” in the press conference following the pick perhaps suggests the Falcons thought they were getting Neo? Neal is a thumper but can be exposed in coverage which makes you wonder if the value at 17 was worth it.
4. Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles drafted 2nd overall out of North Dakota State
It’s extremely unlikely, in my opinion, he ends up being the 2nd best player in this draft class. How much the Eagles invested to land a player that faced the kind of competition he faced in college is borderline insane.
5. Karl Joseph, S, Oakland Raiders drafted 14th overall out of West Virginia
He’s a really good player but he’s small and he’s coming off a torn ACL injury in October. A lot of risk incurred at 14th overall.
6. Christian Hackenberg, QB, New York Jets drafted 51st overall out of Penn State
Pro Football Focus made Hackenberg the second worst pick of the entire draft behind Aguayo. A 56.1% career completion percentage in college is alarming and that includes 53.5% last season.
7. James Bradberry, CB, Carolina Panthers drafted 62nd overall out of Samford
He has nice size but he faced really weak competition and this feels like a project. This is a bit of a panic selection after losing Josh Norman. And if the Panthers had any level of confidence in this pick, they wouldn’t have selected Daryl Worley and Zack Sanchez (both cornerbacks) with their next two picks.
8. Cody Kessler, QB, Cleveland Browns drafted 93rd overall out of USC
The Browns making bad QB picks is becoming a yearly tradition. 93rd overall is a total reach for him.
9. Artie Burns, CB, PIttsburgh Steelers drafted 25th overall out of Miami
Another classic case of falling in love with a guy’s athleticism, size and combine results over poor tape. The reality is he’s raw and a project player. High ceiling, sure, but you take a big risk drafting guys like this in the 1st round.
10. Jaylon Smith, OLB, Dallas Cowboys drafted 34th overall out of Notre Dame
The Cowboys most likely won’t see the fruits of his labor in 2016 at all. Beyond that, who knows if he’ll ever play? And if he does, will he ever come remotely close to living up to his potential after a catastrophic injury like that?
