Biggest reaches and steals: It's all about value

NEW YORK -- The NFL Draft is all about value. Not only do teams need to draft players that fit their system, but they also need to pay the correct "price," in terms of the pick they used to select the player.

"Reaches" are players chosen before their perceived value, while "steals" are prospects with the potential to outperform their draft slot.

The consensus reach pick in this year's draft was defensive lineman Tyson Alualu going to Jacksonville with the 10th overall selection. The Cal product was a solid, hard-working defender who played all over the line, and was definitely worthy of selection late in the first or early in the second round. But was he better than pass rushers Brandon Graham and Derrick Morgan and defensive back Earl Thomas? I don't think so.

Green Bay and Dallas, on the other hand, selected Iowa offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga and Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant with the 23rd and 24th overall selections in the first round, both franchises believing they got great steals in their talent.

Below is a look at the biggest reaches and steals in the 2010 NFL Draft, along with a third category looking at picks widely panned as reaches by the media but who really represent better value than most believe.

STEALS

FS Morgan Burnett, Georgia Tech (Round 3/ Pick No. 71)
A versatile player capable of winning starting strong safety job in 2010, he should at least be a valuable third safety and nickel/dime defender.

QB Jimmy Clausen, Carolina (2/48)
Even the staunchest opponents of Clausen should concede that he was an excellent find for the Panthers in the mid-second round. And if Matt Moore becomes the long-term starter and Clausen does well in the next couple of preseasons, they could at least turn a second-round pick into a future first.

SS Kurt Coleman, Philadelphia (7/244)
Simply an excellent football player capable of playing around the line of scrimmage, owning the range to play the deep half, and guaranteed to be an excellent special teams player. Great value in the seventh.

HB/TE Dorin Dickerson, Houston (7/227)
Though teams weren't sure where to use the H-back/tight end/receiver with 4.4 speed and a linebacker's mentality, the Texans found good value in the seventh round.

DE Everson Griffen, Minnesota (4/100)
There are plenty of questions about Griffen's work ethic and consistency -- even his former coach, Pete Carroll, passed on him a couple of times -- but the same things were said about Ray Edwards when he came out of Purdue. Griffen could be a starter sooner than later.

FS Reshad Jones, Miami (5/163)
He may be a better athlete than player right now, but the Dolphins expect to coach him up into a starter at free safety in 2010.

QB Colt McCoy, Cleveland (3/85)
Getting the winningest quarterback in NCAA history in the third round, even though he's 6-feet-1, made it a no-brainer pick with veterans Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace the team's QBs for 2010. McCoy couldn't ask for a better situation.

WR Carlton Mitchell, Cleveland (6/144)
Tall receiver with excellent speed who runs tougher than expected for his lanky frame; could grow into a playmaker.

WR Golden Tate, Seattle (2/60)
Tate has been compared to Pro Bowl receiver Steve Smith throughout the draft process. Smith also went in the second round, so Golden can only hope to emulate the small but quick and tough receiver's career.

DT Cam Thomas, North Carolina (5/146)
Not a completely clean player in terms of having great film and production, but the Chargers needed a potential starter on the nose with Jamal Williams gone. Thomas could excel in that role.

REACHES

LB Pat Angerer, Indianapolis (2/63)
The Colts do things their way, which they should -- it's Bill Polian's name on the line in the end. But it's unclear how many teams were really looking at the undersized but productive Angerer for their defenses. And Rennie Curran, Perry Riley and others could have fit the bill in later rounds.

OG Zane Beadles, Denver (2/45)
Another situation of a really good player just going a bit higher than necessary. Looked a bit out of place athletically at the East-West Shrine Game, but that may be mitigated by a move inside. Their need for offensive line help may have pushed them to take Beadles and center J.D. Walton a bit earlier than preferred.

QB/WR Armanti Edwards, Carolina (3/89)
Edwards has the athleticism to become a very good receiver and return specialist, but his lack of experience means it's no sure thing. Picking him in the late third round may have been acceptable, but giving up a future second-round selection to do it was overkill.

DT/DE Mike Neal, Green Bay (2/56)
Though Neal's strength and quickness are formidable in workouts, his production doesn't match. A cornerback like Jerome Murphy or Amari Spievey could have helped the secondary.

WR Kerry Meier, Atlanta (5/165)
Not a huge reach or a bad player by any stretch, but his moxie and intelligence won't help him separate from NFL defensive backs and linebackers. Probably could have been picked even later in the draft, or even signed as a free agent.

Better value than believed

RB Jahvid Best, Detroit (1/30)
The freak injury he suffered that ended his Cal career last season may have scared some, but Best has special speed, acceleration and vision, will be an excellent receiving weapon and may return kicks. That makes second-year QB Matthew Stafford much more effective. The Lions also gave up very little to move up to take him.

RB/WR Dexter McCluster, Kansas City (2/36)
5-9, 172-pound running back/receiver 'tweeners are not often selected in the second round. But if the Chiefs hadn't picked up McCluster, several other teams were ready to jump up to grab him. His slight frame belies his strength and smart teams will find a way to get the ball into his hands, including on special teams, where he didn't get many opportunities at Ole Miss.

DT Torrell Troup, Buffalo (2/41)
The Bills required a nose tackle for their 3-4 defense. Troup's combination of strength, effort and lateral quickness made him as good a player available to the team as Terrence Cody or others.

OT Jared Veldheer, Oakland (3/69)
People thought the Patriots reached for Sebastian Vollmer in the late second round last year, a very similar prospect to Veldheer, and now he's a likely 2010 starter. Forget that Veldheer played at Hillsdale -- he's big, very strong and works as hard as any prospect in the draft.

Chad Reuter is a Senior Analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.