2012 NFL Draft Grades: Identifying the Draft's Biggest Reaches

Identifying a "reach" in any draft is a difficult exercise. The 2012 NFL draft is no different.

For starters, the few who claim to find the reaches are rarely professionally trained football scouts. That makes it difficult. But more importantly, none of us are in each and every draft room of the 32 NFL teams. The draft boards aren't going to be hugely different from team to team, but there will be exceptions. And when exceptions are present, "reaches" aren't far behind. 

With that in mind, I scoured the 2012 draft to find the most apparent reaches. These are only considered reaches by comparing where the player was selected to the consensus projections pre-draft. 

The following are the top five:

DE Bruce Irvin, Seattle Seahawks (No. 15)

A wide range of draft analysts had Irvin in the second- to third-round range, mostly due to a few off-the-field concerns and Irvin's lack of three-down ability. At under 250 pounds, Irvin will likely be a situational pass-rusher early on in his NFL career.

However, there were likely teams later in the first round that would have taken Irvin without hesitation. So while the Seahawks did reach in taking Irvin at No. 15, it appeared to be the only way they would get a player GM John Schneider coveted. 

S Tavon Wilson, New England Patriots (No. 48)

New England taking Wilson at No. 48 overall was a bigger reach than Seattle's selection of Irvin in the first. Most had Wilson as a sixth- or seventh-round pick, while others thought he would be nothing more than an undrafted free agent. The Patriots thought enough of Wilson to make him a top-50 pick.

While New England has big needs at safety, it's hard to believe that many other clubs had Wilson anywhere near the top of their draft board as the second round progressed. He'll have high expectations on his shoulders as a top-50 player taken in this draft, especially compared to the defensive backs selected after him. 

P Bryan Anger, Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 70)

Anger was many analysts' top punter, but there's no defending a specialist in the third round, especially for a team with so many other needs.

Anger almost certainly would have been available in the fifth or sixth round, which makes Jacksonville's decision to take him in the top 75 picks the biggest head-scratcher in the draft. Anger better develop into a top-two or -three NFL punter—and in short order—or this will go down as one of the biggest mistakes of GM Gene Smith's career.

G Josh LeRibeus, Washington Redskins (No. 75) 

There were some that ranked Adam Gettis, the Redskins' fifth-round guard, higher than LeRibeus, whom Washington took with its first pick after Robert Griffin III.

But there's one name that Redskins should keep their eye on down the road: Brandon Brooks. The Miami (OH) guard went one pick after the Redskins took LeRibeus, and many considered him one of the draft's biggest steals. LeRibeus may develop into a serviceable starter, but Brooks has a Pro Bowl ceiling. 

DT John Hughes, Cleveland Browns (No. 87)

A rough estimate would put between 10-15 higher-rated defensive tackles available when the Browns took Hughes at No. 87 overall. That alone makes this selection a big reach. 

Cleveland also passed on a number of receivers, and few outsiders looking in would have said defensive tackle ranked higher on the Browns' priority list than an impact pass-catcher. With both value and need off the mark, Hughes has to be included.