The top 10 picks of the 2012 NFL Draft came in fast and furious, with trades being the word of the day.
There were a couple of downright steals, as elite players fell a bit lower than they should have, because some picks were based on fear rather than good judgement. As a result there were some big-time reaches by a couple of teams.
Here are the biggest reaches and steals out of the top 10 draft picks.
Reach: Justin Blackmon to the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 5
The Jaguars traded up two spots to ensure they'd land Blackmon. While it's true they needed to secure a top wideout for Blaine Gabbert, they gave up too much to land his services, trading away their fourth-round pick to move up two spots.
Blackmon has his limitations. He is a brilliant after-the-catch runner, but his size isn't that of a No. 1 receiver and he isn't exactly explosive off the line.
He'll struggle to separate when jammed at the line of scrimmage by the bigger man-to-man corners in the NFL, and at best he is going to be a No. 2 receiver in this league.
The worst part about this pick by the Jaguars is that Blackmon isn't even the best wide receiver in this year's draft class. Michael Floyd is the guy as far as I'm concerned, and they could have easily had him by standing pat at No. 7 overall.
Steal: Morris Claiborne to the Dallas Cowboys at No. 6
Claiborne should have been a top-three pick. He is one of the premier prospects in the 2012 draft class as well as an elite cornerback prospect—one of the key positions in today's NFL.
Sure, Jerry Jones had to trade up to snag him, but the price-tag wasn't too steep.
Per ESPN, Jones only had to give up his second-round pick (45th-overall) to move up from No. 14 to No. 6, a steal by any measure.
Claiborne's addition—along with newly-acquired Brandon Carr—makes the Cowboys' secondary legitimately scary.
Reach: Mark Barron to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 7
Barron is going to be a good safety in the NFL. That being said, he should have been drafted in the middle of the first round, not at the top.
What makes this pick especially bitter for the Bucs is that I'm sure they had their sights set on drafting Claiborne.
Barron isn't nearly the impact player that Claiborne is, and he may struggle to adapt to the speed and power of the NFL's wide receivers and tight ends.
He isn't a bad player, but taking Barron this high is a huge reach.
Steal: Stephon Gilmore to the Buffalo Bills at No. 10
Gilmore was one of the most underrated prospects in the entire draft.
The Bills could have easily gone in a couple of other different directions: They could have selected Michael Floyd to boost their passing game, and they could have selected Riley Reiff to protect Ryan Fitzpatrick.
They did the right thing by taking Gilmore, and the AFC East race is going to be fun to watch all year long because the Bills now have one of the most dangerous defenses in the NFL.
I expect Gilmore to step in right away and start opposite Terrence McGee, allowing Drayton Florence and Aaron Williams to cover the slot.
Big-time steal here by the Bills.
Tyler Eckford Mark Fraser Andy Greene zach Parise bryce Salvador Wade Belak
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