Michigan State’s Jayden Reed, Bryce Baringer turn heads at Senior Bowl
Outside of Super Bowl participants Kansas City and Philadelphia, the offseason has started for the rest of the NFL. That means the majority of the league is looking forward to the NFL Draft at the end of April.
One of the top events for prospective NFL draftees is the Senior Bowl, which annually invites the top senior prospects from across the country to practice and showcase their skills for NFL coaches before playing in an East-West game.
This year, Michigan State had two players invited in wide receiver Jayden Reed and punter Bryce Baringer. Midway through the week, both former Spartans have turned heads and grabbed national attention.
Reed was an All-American punt returner and All-Big Ten receiver in 2021, but saw his production drop in 2022 due to multiple factors, including playing through a lower body injury from training camp all the way through the season. However, Reed is back to full health now, and has been arguably the most impressive wide receiver at the Senior Bowl this week.
After beginning his collegiate career at Western Michigan, Reed transferred to Michigan State and racked up 147 receptions for 2,069 yards and 18 touchdowns for the Spartans. Reed has dazzled at the Senior Bowl, showing off polished route running and good speed while making opposing defensive backs look foolish.
Reed is currently projected as a “Day 3” pick in the draft (rounds 4-7). He’s been a crisp route runner and reliable receiver throughout his collegiate career. The biggest question mark for NFL franchises will be Reed’s size, as he measures in at 6-feet, 190 pounds. While Reed certainly has enough speed to get open in the league, players his size usually have to run a blazing 40-yard dash in order to crack into the early rounds of the draft.
There’s no question about Reed’s talent, however, and he’s proving why he’s one of the most underrated players in this year’s draft against the top senior talent in the country this week.
Meanwhile, those who are punter enthusiasts and Michigan State fans know how good Baringer is. In 2022, he was consensus All-American and was one of three finalists for the Ray Guy Award, given annually to the nation’s top punter. Baringer had a great first day of practice on Tuesday.
It’s clear Baringer is the top punting prospect in the draft. That said, it’s not a guarantee he will be drafted. Most teams don’t use a draft pick on a punter, electing to instead select players at a different position of need. If Baringer goes undrafted, he will land on a team as a priority free agent. His leg talent is apparent, and it wouldn’t be surprised to see Baringer in the league for years to come.
Baringer and Reed have already been invited to the NFL Combine, which will be held in Indianapolis from March 3-7. If the pair of Spartans continue what they’ve shown so far at the Senior Bowl and take that with them to the combine, their draft stocks will continue to rise.
