Scouting Opinions of Packers Second-Round Pick Jayden Reed

What kind of player are the Packers getting in Michigan State receiver Jayden Reed, one of the team’s second-round picks?

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Apr 28, 2023 11:17 PM EDT

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers filled a big hole in their offense by selecting Michigan State receiver Jayden Reed with a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. With playmaking ability at receiver, from the slot and as a returner, he could be a four-down weapon.

Here is an assortment of scouting opinions on Reed, with much more extensive looks by clicking on the links.

Scout to Packer Central: That’s a reach but I actually like the player. Run after catch, legit returner. He reminds me of Deebo (Samuel) but not as strong. But faster. Route running is just OK but he was solid.

Jon-Eric Sullivan, Packers vice president of player personnel: He’s strong and he’s fast, if you just want to simplify it. He’s got exceptional strength for a smaller-framed player, and then he can run. He’s got good tempo. The clock showed it. I believe we had him at 4.37. More importantly, he plays fast. He’s got good tempo and he’s quick. He can get in and out of breaks. Obviously, outside the numbers, the speed comes into play but inside, he’s strong and he can get in and out of breaks, which is going to help him create some separation.

NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah in a conference call: Reed is a really good player. My buddy (Senior Bowl executive director) Jim Nagy is making it his personal campaign to make sure that he does not get overlooked through this process. Jim has seen a lot of him, and he is a big fan. He is a good player. I put him in the third=round range. The punt return, kick return background shows up. He is quick. He can make people miss. He gets separation. He is really tough. He is an outstanding blocker. He is a really good player. Jim has been advocating for him to go in the second round. I wouldn’t be shocked if he did.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler: Reed has outstanding foot quickness and skillfully throttles his route speed to separate from coverage. Despite dropping too many easy ones, his focus is heightened on contested windows, and he shows a knack for timing his leaps and snatching the football off the helmets of defensive backs. His speed, route tempo and downfield ball skills are the ingredients of a potential NFL playmaker.

The 33rd Team: Reed is a speedy receiver who can play both inside and outside. He shows over-the-top speed to make big plays down the field. He also has good quickness, route-running ability and coverage awareness to be an effective option on shorter routes and over the middle of the field. He had far too many drops with 20 total throughout his college career. Overall, he has speed that will allow him to be a productive player at the next level but needs to improve his hands and ability to win vs. press coverage.

Athlon: Quick-footed early in the route with the speed to threaten the top of a defense, Reed was one of the most dangerous deep threats in the Big Ten the past two seasons. When he gets a clean release, he's capable of winning early in the down and is dangerous as a catch-and-run threat, both elusive and, once in the open field, capable of running away from defenders.

Sports Info Solutions: Reed projects to be a solid role-playing receiver at the next level with his ability to line up in multiple spots in an offense. While he will mostly line up in the slot at the next level, he can survive on the outside due to his release ability. On third downs, he will be best used in the slot, but can also be used in motion to try and get him on the move to get the ball in his hands and create after the catch.

Pro Football Focus: Reed didn't have much help within Michigan State's passing attack, but he did all he could. He's a nuanced route runner who knows how to separate and has been doing it ever since he went for 797 yards as a freshman for Western Michigan in 2018.