2021 NFL Draft: Ranking the 5 biggest reaches

One of the things that always bring about robust debate when talking about the NFL draft is who was picked where they should not have been or who was “reached for”.

Year after year, it seems that teams will talk themselves into prospects that might have that raw upside as a prospect, but maybe not any production at the collegiate level, and the teams take that prospect higher than he should have been. That was evident in almost every round of this year’s draft and it is one of the few things you can count on from year to year in the NFL draft.

The guys that usually get reached on play positions are the most important in the NFL. Quarterbacks, pass rushers and offensive linemen seem like they are among the group where there is a surprise player taken every year and it is because those are positions where it is better to have an elite player, especially at quarterback.

This year after the early run on quarterbacks at the top of the draft, there was some speculation on if anyone would reach for one of the other remaining quarterbacks in the first round. That did not happen, but I think that you could make a good argument that a lot of these quarterbacks went higher than they should and that they were all reached for a little bit.

Whenever there is a run on players or several reaches at the position, that can lead to teams getting some of the best steals of the draft.

Here is who I think were the five biggest reaches in this year’s NFL Draft.