Jayden Reed WR Scouting Report

[Jets Global]

Jayden Reed NFL Draft Profile Position: Wide Receiver School: Michigan State Current Year: RS Junior Height: 6'0" Weight: 185 pounds
Jayden Reed Scouting Report Reed possesses almost all the qualities that you look for in a wide receiver. With footwork and explosion, he can create separation in short-yardage areas. Additionally, he can take the top off a defense with his ability to win with releases, explosion, and deep speed. Reed showcases his lateral agility as a ball carrier too. He’s shown to have excellent cut-ability, whether as an after-the-catch threat or carrying the ball out of the backfield. Additionally, Reed’s displayed impressive contact balance. In the games studied, he routinely broke tackles for extra yardage. At the catch point, Reed is impressive too. He has relatively reliable hands, and despite his frame, has shown the ability to compete in contested-catch situations. Furthermore, he has the body control and ball-tracking ability to react and respond to passes that are, how shall we put this kindly, not quite on the money. An underrated aspect of WR evaluation is how a prospect blocks downfield. Here, Reed is also impressive. This is evident not just downfield — where he routinely seals off with correct angles — but also at the line of scrimmage, where he’s also willing to embrace contact.
Areas for Improvement With explosiveness, speed, versatility, blocking ability, and impressive catch-point skills, you could be lulled into thinking that Reed is the perfect prospect. I’ve certainly allowed myself to indulge the exceptional elements of his scouting report. However, perfection rarely exists when evaluating NFL Draft prospects. At 6’0″ and 185 pounds, he doesn’t possess the most physical frame. While he has primarily overcome this at the college level, it could pose problems in the pros. Reed has won at the catch point with athleticism and body control alone for Michigan State. Will he be bullied a little more at the catch point at the next level? Furthermore, there were several examples of Reed dropping the ball over the middle of the field in the games studied. Although he displayed reliable hands on the whole, if he cannot secure the ball on contact at the next level, that will pose an issue.
Jayden Reed Career at School Reed arrived at Western Michigan off the back of an incredible senior high school season and immediately impacted the college level. He snagged 121 yards and a touchdown in his debut against Syracuse. Two games later, against Delaware State, he showcased the punt return ability that is part of his versatility with a 93-yard punt return touchdown. His freshman season was a highlight reel of epic proportions. In 13 appearances, he racked up four 100-plus-yard games. In an all-MAC matchup with Miami (OH), he snagged 4 touchdowns, matching a school record set by Greg Jennings. They accounted for half of his 8 touchdowns during his freshman season, a campaign where he earned FWAA Freshman All-American honors and was named second-team All-MAC. Following his electric freshman season, Reed informed Western Michigan that he would be entering the transfer portal. He reached out to Michigan State, and the rest, as they say, is history. History may have played a hand in his transfer to the Spartans, with friend and high school teammate Payton Thorne already on the Michigan State roster. As he had in his freshman season at Western Michigan, Reed made an immediate impact for the Spartans. In his Michigan State debut, he ripped apart the Rutgers secondary to the tune of 128 yards and 2 touchdowns. In doing so, he became the first Michigan State receiver to record over 100 receiving yards in a debut. Reed led the team in all-purpose yardage in 2020, despite being second in receiving yards. Although he only had 3 touchdowns for the year, over half of his touches resulted in either a first down or touchdown. If Reed’s performances were impressive in 2020, his contributions in 2021 have been exceptional. His accomplishments through Week 10 of the season are too enumerate to list in full here. However, he’s secured three 100-plus-yard games, the most in his career. Reed is also just the third player in Michigan State history — and first since the 1970s — to return 2 punts for touchdowns in one season.
Jayden Reed NFL Draft Player Profile His 829 receiving yards at 18.4 yards per catch with 7 touchdowns have earned him mid-season All-American adoration from multiple outlets. While some of that is focused on his return ability, his place on the Biletnikoff Award watchlist tells you everything you need to know about his pass-catching prowess. Yet, amid a Heisman-worthy campaign from running back Kenneth Walker III, Reed seems to have avoided the national spotlight. I have been guilty of it myself. In the first edition of my Pro Football Network Big Board, Reed was my No. 171 overall prospect. That puts him as a Day 3-caliber player. After conducting his scouting report, Reed shouldn’t be available at that point when the 2022 NFL Draft comes around in April.