NFL Draft’s 3 Biggest Reaches
NFL Draft's 3 Biggests Reaches
The NFL draft is an experience that we cannot forget too soon. After all, it was some of the first sports action we have had in over a month. While many teams make great picks, like Dallas taking CeeDee Lamb at 17th, can find great value, other teams make some questionable decisions. They reach too far to draft a player, or they draft a player that doesn’t fit any need. Thus when the season goes on, and the holes on their rosters are not filled, their performance is severely hindered. However even amongst the bad choices, some are “off the charts” in the worst way possible. While I hope these players can prove me wrong, it’s easy to see why you might consider them reaches
When the Packers chose Jordan Love it was certainly a shock for the world. Yet the Green Bay front office could have not been happier. They were apparently “so desperate” that the organization felt they just had to trade up for Love. Just to let you know, the teams before Green Bay had their original selection were the Seattle Seahawks, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Tennessee Titans. Now you might think I am crazy, but I definitely think that these teams are not that QB “needy.”
The common thread appears to be that Rodgers is getting old, but that seems very illogical to me. These other QBs are all older and do not yet have a long term replacement behind them: Tom Brady is 42, Drew Brees is 41, Ben Roethlisberger is 38, and Phillip Rivers is 38. Again, they all may have a serviceable backup, but none of them invested in a long term replacement.
Rodgers led his team to the NFC Championship, and his only real WR threat was Davante Adams. Rodgers also had an INT rate of 0.7%. Meanwhile, Jordan Love threw more pick 6s last year than Rodgers has his whole career. According to Bob McGinn of the Athletic, Lafleur wanted to gain some leverage on Aaron Rodgers. Now we all know the two never saw eye to eye, but that does not mean you do this to him. I would expect at least a level of respect to be displayed. It’s eerily similar to the Favre-Rodgers situation, which could mean Rodgers might be on his
CB Damon Arnette, 19th Overall
Damon Arnette being picked in the first round was just so weird to me. On my board, I had both Kristian Fulton and Jeff Gladney above him. Arnette is a solid player, but given the talent on the board, it was way too early. FiveThirtyEight’s Draft Model didn’t even have him being selected in the first round. On average, he fell to 61st, with a best-case scenario being 39th. The value they got wasn’t the best. On a 2020 Consensus Big Board, with over 60 analysts contributing to its rankings, they had Arnette at 63rd. Mike Mayock may know what he is doing in terms of needs, but his draft picks have been consistently bizarre.
The Raiders took Clelin Ferrell with the 4th overall pick last year, and Trayvon Mullen in the 2nd round. It’s only been a year, but both selections were HUGE shocks to everyone. Mullen hasn’t even played a snap in the NFL. Even taking Henry Ruggs ahead of both Jeudy and CeeDee is a slight reach. The Raiders franchise is just so dysfunctional, and if you include their free agency signings, they have had one of the weirdest offseasons. They brought in a lot of lackluster veteran depth and didn’t improve their defense. At most, they got some rotational pieces. Players like Kenneth Murray and Jeff Gladney would’ve bolstered their defense so much more. It is very baffling.
CB Noah Igbinoghene, 30th overall
Another corner? Yep, and this one is just as questionable. While it was really hard to rank the top corners (besides Okudah and Henderson), I think Noah is closer to the bottom of the “top.” There is no doubt that Noah is one of the hardest workers in this class and has one of the highest motors, it’s another pick where a team already has great depth at one spot and still decided to add to that depth. They made Byron Jones the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, and still have Xavien Howard. That’s a lot of talent for one secondary. Noah may not get much on-field opprotunity and still has a lot to learn. He has two great mentors, but those aren’t the only reason why this is head-scratching.
In his entire football career, Noah only has two years of experience playing corner. While it may be at the college level, it still isn’t a lot. He may not be prepared for the NFL, and he is probably one of the biggest boom or bust prospects because of that.