2015 NFL Draft: Top Steals and Reaches From First Two Days
The first two days of the 2015 NFL Draft are in the books and we surprisingly didn’t have a crazy amount of trades. Marcus Mariota went #2 overall, we didn’t see Sam Bradford or Philip Rivers traded and no teams came racing back into the first round via trade. Day two wasn’t much different, and the only real drama at all was a few players sliding further than expected or a few others going a little higher than expected.
For people who love the NFL Draft or football in general, though, seeing some of these reaches and steals really was all kinds of drama. In case you missed it, let’s take a quick look at the biggest reaches and steals from the first three rounds:
Reaches
Phillip Dorsett, WR, Indianapolis Colts (Round 1, Pick 29)
Indianapolis has serious issues on their offensive line and a shaky defense, yet they spent their first round pick on an explosive wide receiver. There is no denying Dorsett’s big play ability, but when you already have a trio of T.Y. Hilton, Andre Johnson and Donte Moncrief at your disposal, this becomes quite a troubling pick.
Ty Montgomery, WR, Green Bay Packers (3, 94)
Green Bay just re-signed Randall Cobb to a new deal, signed Jordy Nelson to a big deal the year before and drafted DaVante Adams last year. They have no urgent need for wide receiver help, especially for a guy who was an arguable disappointment in 2014. Montgomery will supposedly help out on special teams, but the Packers should have spent this pick on a linebacker or defensive lineman.
Quinten Rollins, CB, Green Bay Packers (2, 62)
The Packers make our “reach” list again, but one rounder earlier when they took a cornerback with very little football experience. Perhaps they unearthed a gem, but at the 62 spot they really didn’t need to. Rollins could have easily slid another round or two, while Green Bay had far greater pressing needs on the defensive line and at linebacker.
Ali Marpet, OL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2, 61)
There’s no denying the rising stock of Marpet, but there’s also no denying he was probably the reach of the draft. A DIII prospect who is arguably a major project, the Buccaneers reached for an offensive lineman that won’t be starting anytime soon here in round two. Someone like Jamon Brown would have been a lot safer.
Steals
T.J. Yeldon, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars (2, 36)
The Jaguars needed a talented, physical masher at running back and they didn’t have one. Yeldon was a bruiser who had the athleticism and versatility to be a complete back taken in round one, but we see him slip to the second round here. Jacksonville got their running back of the future and in the process they got one of the top steals of the draft.
Jaelen Strong, WR, Houston Texans (3, 70)
Strong lacked the insane athleticism a lot of the top wide receivers in this draft have, but he’s fundamentally strong and extremely well built. There is very little to dislike about him and he’s going to be a great pro, yet the Texans got their Andre Johnson replacement all the way in round three. Considering Strong was a solid candidate to be taken near the end of round one, this is a huge steal.
Malcom Brown, DT, New England Patriots (1, 31)
A top-10 talent, Brown seemingly took a nose dive in this draft due to necessity. It’s odd, too, considering numerous teams absolutely needed defensive tackle help. New England was one of them with nose tackle Vince Wilfork leaving, so they got their replacement here. Brown declared himself the “best player” the Patriots ever drafted. While we can’t know that now, he might go down as their biggest steal in the draft. Second to Tom Brady, of course.
Randy Gregory, DE, Dallas Cowboys (2, 60)
Gregory absolutely had his fair share of issues off the field, but on it no one could deny his raw athleticism and explosive pass-rushing ability. A potential top-five pick, Gregory remained in the green room during his entire free fall until he was finally rewarded by the Cowboys plucking him off the board late in round one. Now it’s his turn to reward them.
Landon Collins, S, New York Giants (2, 33)
Collins is another massive steal out of the NFC East, as the draft’s best, most complete safety slid out of the first round for some reason. New York knew how big of a steal Collins was in the second round, as they traded multiple picks to go up and get him.
Eli Harold, OLB, San Francisco 49ers (3, 79)
Last, but certainly not least, the rich just get richer as the Niners add stud pass-rusher Eli Harold in the middle of round three. A top-20 talent, Harold was supposed to be a lock for the first round and inexplicably slid all the way to the third. The Niners have been losing stud defensive talent left and right and now they get one back.
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