Jayden Reed NFL Draft Scouting Report

WR, Michigan State Spartans

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.

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Alignment versatility 
• Run-after-catch ability 
• Special teams value as a returner

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Limited catch radius 
• Lack of elite speed

Size (NFL Combine):

Height: 5′ 11”

Weight: 187 lbs

Arm Length: 30 1/2”

Hand Size: 9 1/8”

Athletic Testing (NFL Combine):

40-yard Dash: 4.45s

Vertical Jump: 33.5”

Broad Jump: 10′ 1”

Short-Shuttle: 4.29s

Three-Cone: TBD

Bench Reps: TBD

Ideal Role: Versatile offensive weapon/slot receiver

Scheme Fit: Spread system

TDN Consensus Grade: 74.50/100 (Fourth-Round Value)

• Sanchez Grade:74.50/100

Written By: Keith Sanchez 

Exposures: Wisconsin (2022), Illinois (2022), Minnesota (2022), Penn State (2022)

Jayden Reed NFL Draft Scouting Report. Add him to your big board here.