2.50 - Jayden Reed [WR; Michigan State]

[{Family Ghost}]

3 hours ago, incognito_man said:

Yep, I even knew about Wicks and dug into him a bit in addition to everyone else you mentioned. But don't ever recall seeing Reed mentioned here, and he was a middling grade/pick everywhere else I looked. Didn't see anyone talking him up (like Nagy) until after we had picked him. 

Just was totally under my radar.

I think nearly everyone here kind of ruled out Reed due to being under 5'-11".  I know I did.  He was not on my radar at all. 

[incognito_man]

13 minutes ago, {Family Ghost} said:

I think nearly everyone here kind of ruled out Reed due to being under 5'-11".  I know I did.  He was not on my radar at all. 

That's what I'm hearing. I didn't even know how tall he was, legit didn't recognize his name.

[PossibleCabbage]

55 minutes ago, {Family Ghost} said:

I think nearly everyone here kind of ruled out Reed due to being under 5'-11".  I know I did.  He was not on my radar at all. 

I've long suspected that "they drafted a bunch of tall receivers" was mostly about the actual prospects (and the Packers generally being a HWS team because Wolf was an Al Davis disciple), not because the benchmarks had been updated since TT.

So the team that drafted 5102 191 Randall Cobb  and 5111 197 Greg Jennings also drafting 5107 191 Jayden Reed is not that much of a surprise.  I think they're mostly out on the real short (shorter than 5'10") and real skinny guys.

Edited May 6, 2023 by PossibleCabbage

[Scoremore]

24 minutes ago, incognito_man said:

That's what I'm hearing. I didn't even know how tall he was, legit didn't recognize his name.

Wasn't on my radar either.  Get caught up in height speed RAS...then I looked at his tape.  JSN had an RAS of 8.29 not exactly earth shattering.  So he didn't test elite either.  Kupp had an RAS of 5.0.  RAS is not the end all be all.   I'm not saying JSN is a bad WR there is a lot to like.  Polished route runner and good hands. But he was overhyped and not a 1st RD WR IMO.  I was far more impressed with Reed than JSN.  Not because of projected draft position or RAS.  Because of the TAPE.  I thought he looked much quicker, had better YAC ability, and his movement skills were unbelievable.  

Can't have it both ways either Raymond.  These are draft picks it is not an exact science.  College production doesn't mean the kid is going to make it in the pros.  Coversely lack of production in college doesn't mean the kid won't excel in the NFL either.  Teams draft mostly based on projection and traits.  

I'm really high on Reed.  Kid is wicked.  Between the two if both were on the board at 50 it would be a tough decision. JSN is a little bigger but Reed is quicker.  One other major bonus is Reed can return punts and play outside.  He's a more versatile player. 

PR you are going to love this kid.  He's a stud.  My favorite pick of this class.  

 

[Packerraymond]

10 minutes ago, Scoremore said:

Wasn't on my radar either.  Get caught up in height speed RAS...then I looked at his tape.  JSN had an RAS of 8.29 not exactly earth shattering.  So he didn't test elite either.  Kupp had an RAS of 5.0.  RAS is not the end all be all.   I'm not saying JSN is a bad WR there is a lot to like.  Polished route runner and good hands. But he was overhyped and not a 1st RD WR IMO.  I was far more impressed with Reed than JSN.  Not because of projected draft position or RAS.  Because of the TAPE.  I thought he looked much quicker, had better YAC ability, and his movement skills were unbelievable.  

Can't have it both ways either Raymond.  These are draft picks it is not an exact science.  College production doesn't mean the kid is going to make it in the pros.  Coversely lack of production in college doesn't mean the kid won't excel in the NFL either.  Teams draft mostly based on projection and traits.  

I'm really high on Reed.  Kid is wicked.  Between the two if both were on the board at 50 it would be a tough decision. JSN is a little bigger but Reed is quicker.  One other major bonus is Reed can return punts and play outside.  He's a more versatile player. 

PR you are going to love this kid.  He's a stud.  My favorite pick of this class.  

 

I was on Jayden after the Senior Bowl, DVR-ed and watched every practice and he kicked ***. Did a few 2022 games, was moderately impressed but most bored by how awfully bland the MSU offense is and had a 3rd round grade on him. Dove into 2021 games more after I drafted him and it's definitely more creative. He doesn't  do much different but they actually get 1st downs and give him targets. Way better than the Nailor kid the Vikings drafted last year. My comp for him was Emmanuel Sanders. I'd be plenty pleased with that.

[Rainmaker90]

I don’t disagree with the premise @incognito_man. 
 

I think like that a lot when it comes to QBs. 
 

It’s a legitimate question how different college players would be in different situations. 
 

Idt it’s a bold statement to say they weren’t that much off as prospects . It’s pretty evident that the NFL did not value JSN as an elite prospect and They were only separated by 3 other WRs. It’s certainly possible teams had them closer together than what we think.  

[HighCalebR]

Wheres everyone getting all 22 from?

[R T]

48 minutes ago, Packerraymond said:

I was on Jayden after the Senior Bowl, DVR-ed and watched every practice and he kicked ***. Did a few 2022 games, was moderately impressed but most bored by how awfully bland the MSU offense is and had a 3rd round grade on him. Dove into 2021 games more after I drafted him and it's definitely more creative. He doesn't  do much different but they actually get 1st downs and give him targets. Way better than the Nailor kid the Vikings drafted last year. My comp for him was Emmanuel Sanders. I'd be plenty pleased with that.

🤨

[MantyWrestler]

4 hours ago, incognito_man said:

Disagree STRONGLY about JSN being "more developed". He had one year of production compared to 4 for Reed. I think JSN is a slot only guy. I think Reed can contribute a lot more elsewhere immediately.

I don't agree JSN is a better route runner at all.

JSN is not as fast but lightning quick. Look at his shuttle numbers from the combine. Reed does better outside and on longer routes but I thought JSN got more separation on slot routes. However I do agree that Reed may be more versatile of a WR. 

[incognito_man]

36 minutes ago, Rainmaker90 said:

I don’t disagree with the premise @incognito_man. 
 

I think like that a lot when it comes to QBs. 
 

It’s a legitimate question how different college players would be in different situations. 
 

Idt it’s a bold statement to say they weren’t that much off as prospects . It’s pretty evident that the NFL did not value JSN as an elite prospect and They were only separated by 3 other WRs. It’s certainly possible teams had them closer together than what we think.  

I just rewatched pretty much everything I could find on him and he's the best WR prospect in the draft. I like him even more than Zay. Reed is an absolute stud. He's the best WR outta this class.

[MantyWrestler]

1 minute ago, incognito_man said:

I just rewatched pretty much everything I could find on him and he's the best WR prospect in the draft. I like him even more than Zay. Reed is an absolute stud. He's the best WR outta this class.

I’ll need to watch him again and really hope you’re right. This would be a huge move to get the top WR where we took him. And… be a nice stick in the eye of AR. 

[incognito_man]

1 minute ago, MantyWrestler said:

JSN is not as fast but lightning quick. Look at his shuttle numbers from the combine. Reed does better outside and on longer routes but I thought JSN got more separation on slot routes. However I do agree that Reed may be more versatile of a WR. 

I agree JSN has a crisper couple steps that are beneficial on slot routes. That's where his strengths shine. But I think Reed is not THAT far behind on COD ability such that those routes are still going to be strong for Reed. AND on top of that Reed is a legit deep threat and has elite body control and tracking skills (see that catch vs Maryland - that's an ELITE catch very very few WRs make). 

The more I see if Reed the more I like him and think his "tape" is the best in this class.

[incognito_man]

4 minutes ago, MantyWrestler said:

I’ll need to watch him again and really hope you’re right. This would be a huge move to get the top WR where we took him. And… be a nice stick in the eye of AR. 

Watch the play at 3:07 vs Maryland. That's Tyreke Hill making that catch. Put that play on repeat. Everything about that play, his release, his separation, his insane body control, his elite tracking, his sticky hands, his pure athleticism. This is the best catch I remember seeing from any prospect this year. And the rest of his highlights are impressive as hell. His best plays are fixing his QBs mistake. That's how you know you're watching a future NFL star on the college level IMO. A guy who wins the route but bails out a bad throw. Repeatedly. And houses it. Stud.

https://youtu.be/6ZhCz2IlINg

[Scoremore]

5 minutes ago, incognito_man said:

I agree JSN has a crisper couple steps that are beneficial on slot routes. That's where his strengths shine. But I think Reed is not THAT far behind on COD ability such that those routes are still going to be strong for Reed. AND on top of that Reed is a legit deep threat and has elite body control and tracking skills (see that catch vs Maryland - that's an ELITE catch very very few WRs make). 

The more I see if Reed the more I like him and think his "tape" is the best in this class.

Same way I feel about it Incog.  Glad I'm not the only one.  Absolutely loved his tape.  Dude is just wicked.  He better ball out or we'll both have egg on our face.  He will tho...

[Green19]

1 hour ago, PossibleCabbage said:

I've long suspected that "they drafted a bunch of tall receivers" was mostly about the actual prospects (and the Packers generally being a HWS team because Wolf was an Al Davis disciple), not because the benchmarks had been updated since TT.

So the team that drafted 5102 191 Randall Cobb  and 5111 197 Greg Jennings also drafting 5107 191 Jayden Reed is not that much of a surprise.  I think they're mostly out on the real short (shorter than 5'10") and real skinny guys.

I think they have thresholds and they tend to stick to them. When you look at Reed he is close… they like 5’11” or above, Reed is 5’10.5”. They want 195lbs, Reed was 187lbs when measured but at rookie minicamp he was quoted as saying he is up to 190/192 ish.  And he didn’t run a 3 cone. If he runs it he likely hits their threshold of 7.09 or less.

I think what let them feel good about Reed is the production.

He feels like Jaire 2.0, just as a WR.