It has been an unconventional path to the NFL for Keenan Reid as the Rutgers football defensive back will join the New York Jets this month for rookie minicamp.
In his three years at Rutgers, Reid played in a total of seven games and did not register a start. He made one career tackle, on special teams, in 2021. But at the Rutgers Pro Day in March, Reid put up some very strong numbers in his testing.
His 40-time of a 4.41 was followed up by a 4.37 on his next run. He also posted a 40-inch vertical and a broad jump of 10-feet-9-inches.
All numbers that were impressive, especially since only six defensive backs at the NFL Combine in March ran a faster 40 time.
“My journey and story are different than most considering the fact I didn’t play as much during my time at Rutgers,” Reid told Rutgers Wire this week.
“But I knew with my Pro Day results it would at least give me a chance to get looked at. I never lost faith in my abilities. All I wanted was an opportunity to show what I can do.”
The Jets ran several scouts deep at the Rutgers Pro Day and Reid said he talked with the entire representation. He participated in their local day at the team’s facility where he had a workout with the team.
The performance at the Pro Day clearly paved the path for Reid to get this opportunity with the Jets.
“Pro Day was huge for me,” Reid said. “I was very confident in my abilities and just wanted to showcase what I knew I could do in front of the NFL scouts.”
In the sixth round of last weekend’s NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Rutgers defensive back Christian Braswell.
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A second-team All-Big Ten by Pro Football Focus, Braswell made five starts and had 12 appearances this past season. He had 37 total tackles and three interceptions as a senior.
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