After back-to-back trade backs, the Green Bay Packers added another offensive weapon in Michigan State wide receiver Jayden Reed with the 50th overall pick in the 2023 draft.
Given the Packers’ history of drafting wide receivers in the second, most consider it a safe assumption that Reed has a bright future. He makes up for his lack of size (5-11, 187 lbs) by being a shifty athlete capable of making explosive plays.
Want to learn more about Reed, who has a chance to be a viable pass catcher for Jordan Love and a dynamic returner on special teams? Here’s what several prominent draft analysts said about Reed during the pre-draft process:
Dane Brugler, The Athletic (draft guide): “A three-year starter at Michigan State, Reed was a perimeter receiver in offensive coordinator Jay Johnson’s offense. Although his senior year fell short of expectations because of injuries and the Spartans’ offensive struggles, he accounted for 46 explosive plays (20-plus yards) over the past two seasons and became just the third player in school history with multiple punt return touchdowns in the same season. 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. Overall, Reed will have a tougher time overcoming his slight size vs. NFL defensive backs, but his speed, route tempo and downfield ball skills are the ingredients of a potential NFL playmaker. With a few technical tweaks to his game, he has NFL starting ability (slot and outside) and adds value as a return man.”
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com: “Utility wideout with the ability to take snaps at multiple receiver positions while offering both kickoff and punt return talent. Reed looks smaller in many of his matchups, but he is rarely deterred by size. He’s too tight-hipped for stop-start routes on the tree, but he operates with good route speed and should improve his ability to separate with additional development and experience on the next level. His ball skills and feel for positioning on deep throws and jump balls are unquestioned. Limiting his focus drops on short and intermediate throws will be critical to becoming a long-term NFL contributor.”
Mike Renner, Pro Football Focus (draft guide): “Reed has been a Swiss army knife throughout his college career. Whether it’s catching the ball, running the ball, or returning kicks and punts on special teams, Reed has been effective no matter what he’s been asked to do. Reed started his college career at Western Michigan before transferring to Michigan State during the COVID year. His best season came in 2021, as he recorded 1,674 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns while finishing with an 82.2 PFF grade. There are plenty of NFL teams who could use Reed’s unique skill set.”
Bleacher Report Scouting Department: “Jayden Reed is an undersized ball-winner with the tools and potential to grow into a complete receiver. Reed’s athletic profile is based on his speed and flashes of explosion. Reed comes off the ball well and has the acceleration to eat up cushions quickly. Once he’s rolling, Reed reaches a solid top speed that, while not elite, is enough to reasonably threaten vertical routes, both from the slot and inside. Reed also shows glimpses of great snappiness and explosion in his route-running, though it more commonly appears on in-breaking routes rather than out-breaking routes. Reed’s ball skills are what really shine. Though a little undersized, Reed has fantastic body control and the ability to contort his body to find the ball. He has great ball-tracking skills, both down the field and across the middle, and has strong hands to finish consistently. Reed even flashes the ability to play above the rim. That may not be a consistent part of his game at his size in the NFL, but it’s something he has in his bag. The biggest concerns with Reed come down to his play strength and alignment flexibility. Though Reed played outside some in college, that may not be in the cards in the NFL. Reed showed some struggles versus press coverage, both at the line and when being disrupted throughout his route. Reed is also a middling ball carrier. Despite excelling as a returner, Reed’s YAC skills are mediocre as a wide receiver. He can be a little slow to transition from catch to run and he doesn’t have any one dominant athletic trait to lean on as his weapon. Reed’s requisite speed and high-level ball skills are enough to make him an early contributor. He will be a reliable target who can take on a variety of route responsibilities, though mostly from the slot. Size and play strength will hold him back to a degree, but there’s enough in the rest of his skill set to overcome that and be a useful player.”
The Draft Network: “Jayden Reed is a redshirt senior wide receiver that has logged playing time in more than 30 career games, posting a career stat line of more than 2,000 yards receiving and 18 touchdowns. Throughout his career at Michigan State, Reed has shown to not only be a receiver but also a versatile offensive player—even contributing on as a special team returner. Reed has aligned in traditional receiver alignments at the X or Z but also in the slot, as the motion player in jet sweep action, and in the backfield. This versatility allowed for coordinators to find creative ways to get the ball into Reed’s hands so he can use his best trait: his run-after-catch ability. Reed is a receiver prospect with a strong lower half that makes him a difficult tackle in the open field. With the ball in his hands, Reed has the ability to use his strength to run through arm tackles, use his short-area quickness to make defenders miss in the open field, or accelerate pass defenders. Aligned in the traditional receiver position, Reed has made productive plays. From the slot, Reed can use his short-area quickness to separate from defenders and make himself available to the quarterback. Reed shows to be a high-IQ player and understands how to find the opening in zone coverage. Reed has also shown the ability to be an occasional deep threat. Reed excels at running deep over routes and posts. Overall, Reed is a wide receiver prospect whose best usage in the NFL may come from non-traditional alignments and finding a way to get the ball in his hands in open space to be able to use his plus trait of being a tough player to tackle in the open field. While Reed can be a versatile player, there are elements of his game that need to be improved. Reed is a good catch-in-traffic receiver but fails to really extend his hands away from his body to improve his catch radius. This allows defenders to be able to deflect passes and restricts his ability to make the difficult contested catch consistently. It also appears that Reed lacks true explosiveness. Reed is a player that is quicker than fast. Throughout his career, Reed has made big plays but they are not a direct correlation to Reed having elite speed. In the NFL, Reed’s skill set will allow him to fill multiple roles early in his career while he continues to work on the details of his game as he attempts to work his way to being the first or second option of an offense.”
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. Reed’s slender build will max out his ability to add strength and bulk. He had far too many drops with 20 total throughout his college career. He needs to work on technique, too many times he tries to catch the ball with his body rather than his hands. 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.”