'One Of Our Favorites': Seahawks Fired Up to Draft Multifaceted Jerrick Reed II
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RENTON, Wash. - Amid a busy 2023 NFL Draft, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider had plenty to smile about.
For one, the Seahawks selected cornerback Devon Witherspoon and receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, two players the organization viewed as the best at their respective positions, with a pair of first round picks. In the latter rounds, Schneider and company were also able to shore up the trenches while continuing to emphasize picking the best player available with their 10 total selections.
But interestingly, even after landing Witherspoon and Smith-Njigba on day one, nothing brought a bigger smile to Schneider's face over the course of the three-day extravaganza than breaking down New Mexico defensive back Jerrick Reed II, who Seattle drafted in the middle of the sixth round with the 198th overall pick.
Grinning ear to ear at the mere mention of Reed after the draft concluded on Saturday afternoon, Schneider enthusiastically said, "He's one of our favorites."
Looking at Reed's unusual path to the NFL, it's not difficult to see why both Schneider and coach Pete Carroll became enamored by the under-the-radar prospect during the pre-draft process. From his intense playing style to his positional flexibility to his gritty mindset, he stands out as a classic textbook example of what the team's brain trust identifies as an ideal Seahawk.
Born and raised in Olive Branch, Mississippi, the same home town of iconic former Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright, Reed helped guide the Conquistadors to a 12-2 record and a berth into the third round of the 6A state tournament. A First-Team All-State selection, he intercepted seven passes and amassed 99 tackles, posting gaudy numbers at the prep level.
But despite his impressive production playing for one of Mississippi's powerhouse programs, Reed received minimal interest as a recruit in large part due to his small stature. Without any offers from Division I or even Division II schools, he enrolled at Northwest Mississippi Community College, turning a strong lone season with the program into an offer from New Mexico.
"My stats were the very best out of any DB coming out, but because of my size, I was looked down upon," Reed told reporters moments after being drafted by Seattle. "I had to go Juco. I played one season at Juco, New Mexico took a chance on me, I rolled with them, I committed and I spent my four years out there getting First-Team All-Conference and winning games for them and just putting it on for the state.”
Over the course of four seasons with the Lobos, Reed continued to stuff the stat sheet while seeing action as both safety positions as well as slot cornerback in the team's 3-3-5 defensive scheme, earning All-Mountain West honors twice. Equally productive against the run and pass, he eclipsed 88 tackles in each of his final two seasons in Albuquerque and set a career-high with 10 pass breakups in 2022.
Just as the was the case back in Olive Branch, however, Reed wasn't getting any attention as a potential draft prospect and remained inexcusably off the radar. After being unranked as a recruit in high school, outlets such as Pro Football Focus, The Draft Network, and Pro Football Network didn't even list him in their final rankings, while NFL.com's Lance Zierlein pegged him as a priority undrafted free agent.
But for a talented, versatile player like Reed who has gone unnoticed, all it takes is one team discovering him to change everything and put him on the map. Putting on a show at New Mexico's pro day with Seahawks scout Ryan Florence in attendance, he ran a blazing 4.46 40-yard dash and posted a 38-inch vertical jump, which both would have been in the top five for safeties at the NFL combine.
From there, with Reed no longer off the grid and catching Florence's eye, Seattle brought the fiery defender in for an official top-30 visit. According to Schneider, his visit was equally as impressive as his overlooked tape, as his attention to detail, intensity, and passion for the game carried over into meetings.
"When he came in for his visit, we couldn't wait to talk to him because he plays the game like - what movie is it? Elf. He's an angry little elf, you know?" Schneider remarked, drawing laughs in the media room.
"He plays mean. I'm like, Are you okay, man? Are you all right? And he's super serious. He's looking at me like - and I'm like, Seriously, are you okay? Because you play the game like you're mad at somebody, you know. And he does. But he had a great time here, a great visit. Ton of energy."
Always coveting players who can line up at multiple positions and perform at a high level, Carroll was drawn to Reed's ferocity and playmaking instincts as both a safety and nickel cornerback. After starring on kick and punt coverage at New Mexico, he also values his upside contributing on special teams while he continues to develop behind Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams in the secondary.
But most importantly, sticking with a prevailing theme that every single one of Seattle's draft picks seemed to share this year as the team looks to add "juice" on both sides of the ball, Carroll loves his toughness and the energy that he brings to the field with him every time he straps up his pads.
"He's fun to watch. He's all over the place," Carroll said. "He's got a real knack about going for it and playing fast and aggressive and willing to make the plays. So there's a common theme again. This is a guy that we thought was really, really active and a lot of versatility and will be a special teams guy as well. It's going to be a very competitive position for us now."
With Adams, Diggs, and Julian Love all entrenched ahead of him on the depth chart and Joey Blount returning, Reed will enter his first offseason program far from guaranteed to make the 53-man roster next September. But at the same time, his ability to play in the slot in a pinch will help his cause and his mental resolve should serve him well competing in a stacked position group.
No stranger to adversity, Reed has consistently overcome the narrative that shorter defensive backs are at a disadvantage and found ways to succeed. Fighting well above his weight class at every level of football he has played to this point, he's grateful for the Seahawks giving him a chance to show he can make an impact in a variety of ways in the NFL just as he did at the high school and college level.
If he's able to do that, Schneider will have even more reasons to smile next fall with another late round pick making his mark in the Pacific Northwest.
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