One of the biggest surprises in the 2012 NFL Draft came with the 15th pick of the 1st round when the Seattle Seahawks selected West Virginia LB Bruce Irvin. Among the various media mock drafts leading up to the real thing, Irvin was widely considered a 2nd round prospect, at best a late 1st round pick.
NFL Draft 2012: Seahawks Thought Jets Would Pick Bruce Irvin At No. 16
I know you'll find this stunning but it appears the mock drafts were wrong. As it turns out, a number of teams had a 1st round grade on Irvin. The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers were reportedly interested and Seahawks GM John Schneider said the New York Jets were, too.
Schneider said on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday that he thought there was a “good chance” the Jets would’ve taken him with the next pick.
The Seahawks originally held the 12th overall pick but traded down with the Philadelphia Eagles three spots to No. 15, where they selected Irvin.
Immediately after the pick I thought it was a major reach, the draft’s first big reach. But some of the comments following the pick have made me think Irvin was more highly rated among those that actually make the picks.
Check out SB Nation’s Field Gulls, where they’re rounding up the Seahawks draft grades, and visit SB Nation Seattle for more on the Seahawks draft.
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