Oregon Ducks Defensive Back Nikko Reed Working at Nickel in Fall Camp

Heading into the 2023 season, Oregon's defense will be under a microscope.

After all, many believe the unit largely under-achieved in 2022, despite featuring multiple NFL Draft picks like Christian Gonzalez (Rd. 1, pick 17), DJ Johnson (Rd. 3, pick 80) and Noah Sewell (Rd. 5, pick 148).

One of the main areas Dan Lanning is looking to improve is in the secondary. After losing pieces like Bennett Williams to graduation, he's getting creative and moving players around.

Nikko Reed is an early example of that in fall camp. On Monday, the Colorado cornerback transfer revealed that he's learning a new position with the Ducks.

"I've been switching from corner to the nickel back," Reed said of where he's improved the most. "Just learning that, is a big improvement for me because I've only been learning corner for two years of college. Moving closer to the ball is an improvement for me because I never thought that I'd be able to do that."

Reed made a name for himself during his two years in Boulder as a cover corner that also brought juice in the return game. Now, his role at nickel gives him the chance to assert himself as a physical force and change the narrative around cornerbacks.

"A lot of people think that corners aren't good tacklers. That they don't want to tackle. But you have to be different. You have to change that narrative. Coming up making tackles is something I take pride in because you don't get that many opportunities if you're out there on an island covering people for every play."

He sounds like he's relishing the challenge of learning a new spot--adding more tools to his tool belt-- but he's also excited about the opportunity to cause more chaos.

"I blitz a lot more than I usually do at corner," Reed said of playing the nickel spot. "It was just complicated for me to learn the playbook for nickel and at corner. I never did that, but I'll take on the challenge."

Oregon Cornerbacks Coach Demetrice Martin knows Reed better than anyone in Eugene. After both recruiting and coaching him at Colorado, he's ready to unleash his potential in the Ducks secondary. He views the 5-foot-10 defensive back as an instant-impact player.

"A lot more versatility, as far as he's a guy that can play inside, he can play outside and then also his return game on special teams," Martin said of what Reed brings to the table. "Just an added extra piece into that room where he's a plug-and-play pretty much anywhere that we might need."