2012 NFL Draft analysis: Jacksonville Jaguars

Now that the 2012 NFL Draft is over, we're profiling each team's draft. Who were the steals? Who were the reaches? We continue with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jacksonville Jaguars entered the 2012 NFL Draft with two huge needs; wide receiver and defensive end. General manager Gene Smith was able to address those needs in the first two rounds by trading up for Justin Blackmon in the first round and snagging Clemson defensive end Andre Branch in round two.

But in what has become an annual tradition, Smith made a draft selection that left everyone scratching their heads. In the third round, the Jaguars selected California punter Bryan Anger. Third round picks are valuable in today's NFL. During Smith's tenure with the Jaguars, he has turned third round picks into starters Derek Cox, Terrance Knighton and Will Rackley, as well as D'Athony Smith, who has loads of potential but has been injured his entire career. On the surface, the selection of Anger is puzzling.

Taking a punter in the third round is a questionable selection. It's tough to even gauge how the pick becomes a success. Anger has to become one of the best punters in the NFL for the pick to even be close to worth it. Even if he is able to do that, punters generally don't have a huge impact on the game. There's a reason a punter hasn't been picked this high since Todd Sauerbrun in 1995. Not to mention, the Jaguars spent a fourth round pick on punter Adam Podlesh in 2007 only to let him leave in free agency last season. Overall, it was a confusing pick given how many needs this team has.