NFL Draft Rankings 2012: The 5 Biggest Reaches in the 1st Round

Every year in the NFL draft, there are teams that reach for players in the first round that make us, the viewers, shake our heads and question the team's intelligence.

While it's true that every team has its own unique big board of prospects, it's safe to assume that they don't differ from one another too drastically, especially in the earlier rounds.

The San Francisco 49ers' general manager made a good point when it comes to deciding which player to pick.

“If you like the player, take them because if you don’t take them and you trade back, you may not like the outcome," Trent Baalke said, according to 49ers.com.

And while that may be correct, the nature of the game is compiling as many picks as possible while still acquiring the player you originally desired, and you do that by trading back and not reaching for players. It's what Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots have done so well in the past.

A reach in the draft can also be selecting a player too high when considering his skill and potential.

That said, here's the five biggest reaches from the first round of the 2012 NFL draft.

5. Dontari Poe, DT, Kansas City Chiefs

I like Poe a lot as an athlete, but drafting nose tackles high in the draft has always been a risky maneuver.

The Chiefs took Tyson Jackson with the third overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft, and that didn't turn out the way they had hoped. A year prior, they took Glenn Dorsey with the fifth overall pick, and that selection didn't end happily either.

The riskiest part about this selection is Poe's reputation for taking plays off. For a player who seemed to fly up the draft boards due to an incredible showing at the combine, that's a definite red flag.

Poe could be a beast when it's all said and done, but picking a risky prospect—especially a defensive tackle, which is one of the hardest positions in the NFL to project—is certainly a reach.

4. Shea McClellin, DE, Chicago Bears

Shea McClellin could turn into a nice player down the road, but the Chicago Bears reached by selecting him with the 19th overall pick.

Not only were pass-rushers like Chandler Jones, Perry Jones and Whitney Mercilus still on the board when McClellin was selected, but Mike Mayock of the NFL Network projected him to be a late first-round pick, specifically No. 28 overall to the Green Bay Packers.

With all of those pass-rushers still on the board, general manager Phil Emery should've been able to trade down and still possibly select McClellin. If not, one of those defensive ends would've sufficed.

It's all about maximizing the number of draft picks.

3. Brandon Weeden, QB, Cleveland Browns

One pick in particular that left me shaking my head was when the Cleveland Browns selected Weeden with the 22nd overall pick in the first round.

Let me start with the obvious: He's 28 years old and will be 29 at the start of the 2012 season. He's already three years older than Colt McCoy, for crying out loud!

Unless he channels his inner Brett Favre and finds a way to play into his 40s, then there is no way Weeden should've even been a first-round pick, let alone No. 22 overall.

Mike Mayock didn't even have him listed as a first-round pick, and DraftCountdown.com projected him as a second-round pick to Cleveland.

Not only do I think Weeden's career will be constricted due to his age, but he was not worth a first-round pick.

2. Ryan Tannehill, QB, Miami Dolphins

We all saw this one coming. It was hard to find a mock draft that didn't have the Dolphins selecting Tannehill, so I wasn't at all surprised when they bit the bullet and selected him with the eighth overall pick in the draft.

If it wasn't for the selection listed after this, the Dolphins' selection of Tannehill with a top-10 pick would've been the biggest reach maybe in the entire draft when it's all said and done.

Put simply, Tannehill is not a first-round talent.

Not only does he have two years of experience starting as a quarterback for Texas A&M, but his accuracy was one of his biggest red flags coming out of college.

Owner Stephen Ross got the player that he wanted, so offensive coordinator Mike Sherman better be ready to mold him into a quarterback worthy of a top-10 pick.

If not, this selection could cripple the organization for the foreseeable future.

1. Bruce Irvin, DE, Seattle Seahawks

Absolutely no one outside of the Seahawks organization saw this one coming.

Mike Mayock didn't project Irvin to be selected in the first round, and DraftCountdown.com saw him worthy of the No. 58 overall pick in the second round.

And not only did the Seahawks reach for Irvin with the 15th overall pick in the draft, but there are question marks about his character. He was reportedly arrested in March for property damage and disorderly conduct after breaking into a sandwich shop, according to CBS Sports' Rob Rang.

And it's not just his off-field issues that make Irvin a reach. He's a one-dimensional player who relies on his speed alone to get to the quarterback.

The Seahawks should've traded down again if they truly wanted to make Irvin the newest addition to their team. Selecting him with the 15th overall pick will be a regrettable mistake.