San-O Posted April 16, 2009 Posted April 16, 2009 Do you believe Whitner would have been there on the Bills next pick? I don't think anyone does. If Huff had fallen one more spot and Buffalo took him Kiper would have been talking about it being a great pick but, Whitner has been the better S. Kiper will piss and moan about what a pathetic pick a guy was at that slot they could've gotten better VALUE out of pick such and such. I've noticed though that on draft days he doesn't go back to prior drafts and say; "I though player such and such was a better VALUE but I was dead wrong." As mentioned above by VJ91 no GM's use the word reach. It's only used by draftniks. No. Everyone is making some good points, but I also think the definition changes a bit when you're talking about a top 10 or so pick. You can't take a guy in the top 10 or 15, just because you want him and he won't be around when you are next on the clock.
Leonidas Posted April 16, 2009 Posted April 16, 2009 If you can definitely get a guy 10-15 spots later then drafting him at your spot makes him a reach, yes. This partially depends on how much you need the guy. If you are a DE away from the playoffs and you reach a little for *the* guy rather than just grab him, that's not a reach. If you have many needs to fill (say, Buffalo in 2006) and you reach for a guy who probably would have been around 10 picks later (if Whitner would have been - I don't remember) then yes, it's a reach. Being a reach partially depends on his pro career as well. Dwight Freeney was called a reach at #11, although the Colts *really* wanted him and didn't want to risk losing him. How did that work out? In the same draft (2002), Levi Jones (OT, Cincinnatti) was called a reach at #10. He had a good career until the injury bug bit him. Now it looks like the Bungles will be upgrading that position. On the flip side, Aaron Rodgers was a great "value" at #25, but if he came in and flunked who would have agreed with that after the fact? KnockOut30 said that Maybin had great "value" in the second round, but if he falls on his face is that accurate? I don't think so. Was Whitner a reach at #8? In retrospect, maybe. Let's see what he does this year at FS (unless he's in prison, of course). I'm sure they wanted Huff more, but that didn't really work out for Oakland.
2020 Our Year For Sure Posted April 16, 2009 Posted April 16, 2009 Great point about GM's and the word reach. Kiper will scream and yell on draft day. If the "reach" player has a lesser career than anyone taken after him then Kiper will crow the next year that he was right. IIRC, he said Huff was a great pick and Whitner should have gone later. I think "reaching" does mean something but that's only if a player will be there next pick. Obviously the FO's know more about that than the fan does, no really it's true, so it has to be a very obvious reach IMO. To this point, the last true reach I can think of is Mike Nugent to the Jets in the 2nd round.
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