The Most Perplexing Picks Of The 2012 NFL Draft

Of course all of these guys could end up being Hall of Famers in which case forget all of this.

Bryan Anger, P — Jacksonville Jaguars

When: 3rd Round, Pick 70

Why was it dumb: He's a punter! There is very little evidence to support an argument that it's ever worth it to draft a punter in the third round. Why? Because even the best punter you can imagine doesn't impact the game enough to be a worthwhile value at that point in the draft. Sure the team needed help in it's punting game, but they would have had plenty of opportunities to address that a time, when so many good position players weren't currently available. Consider this, there isn't a single player in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame who was exclusively a punter. Not one. Is that scientific? No, but it tells you the relative value of a punter.

Bruce Irvin, LB — Seattle Seahawks

When: 1st Round, Pick 15

Why was it dumb: Irvin's a great pass rusher, but that was the extent of his game in college. He's relatively unskilled against the run, but the bigger problem is that most scouts had him projected as a late second-rounder (in the 50s) but the Seahawks grabbed him at 15 overall. Bad value for a high pick.

Brandon Weeden, QB – Cleveland Browns

When: 1st Round, Pick 22

Why was it dumb: He's old. He's a 28 year old rookie. He's older than Aaron Rogers and Aaron Rogers has been in the league for 7 years. He's the oldest player selected in the draft since the merger of the AFL and NFL. That said, if he can play from day one, this pick will look great. You're just dealing with a much higher degree of difficulty, because people don't have time to give a 28 year old a couple of years to figure out the league.

Kirk Cousins, QB — Washington Redskins

When: 4th Round, Pick 102

Why was it dumb: Kirk Cousins is actually a decent NFL prospect, this is a confusing pick because the Skins already drafted their quarterback of the future. RGIII? Remember? Black guy. Looks like Kel Mitchell in Good Burger. Wears crazy socks. Why bring in another quarterback to wait in the wings? Before this pick, Griffin would have had time to develop. Should he struggle out of the gate, no fan would call for Rex Grossman to start over him. But now? You picked a potential quarterback controversy. Congrats Washington.

Tavon Wilson, S — New England Patriots

When: 2nd Round, Pick 48

Why was it dumb: Tavon Wilson may be great, but this is a dumb pick from a value perspective. He would have all but certainly been available in the third and fourth rounds, and maybe even later. This pick screams Bill Belichick saying, "I'm smarter than all of you!" Okay Bill. Whatever.

Russell Wilson, QB — Seattle Seahawks

When: 3rd Round, Pick 75

Why was it dumb: Don't listen to anyone who tells you he's too short. Russell Wilson was a great quarterback at Wisconsin and I think he'll be a good pro. This was only surprising, because the Seahawks went out and spent a bunch of money on Matt Flynn to be their number one guy. It could end up being the smartest pick in the draft if Wilson ends up picking up where he left off in college, but it was certainly unexpected for a team that has so many holes to fill. Do these teams want a quarterback controversy?