The dreaded R-word during every NFL draft season is “reach.” It’s a label that gets thrown around a lot, meaning a player was drafted well ahead of where analysts said he should go. Nobody wants to hear their favorite team’s picks criticized like this, but we also shouldn’t overreact if it happens. Just as every class has its busts, they also have so-called reaches who prove to be far better than expected.
Draft analysis is the annual game of speculation and big statements about players’ NFL potential. Nobody actually dies on any hill in this activity; lots of back-patting when proven right, but rarely any mea culpas or getting called out for being wrong.