The Green Bay Packers drafted wide receiver Jayden Reed out of Michigan State in the second round of the NFL draft. Day two was full of picks that helped Jordan Love and the offense. Reed is not the prototypical wide receiver for the Packers. The Jayden Reed scouting report shows the potential he has as an offensive weapon.
Green Bay Packers Jayden Reed Scouting Report
Reed is one of the most versatile athletes in the nation. In his last two years as a Spartan, he posted after 1,600 yards receiving and 15 touchdowns. He also returned two punts last year giving him special teams value. Despite his size, he plays bigger and has great hands to make contested catches.
Strengths
-Clever hands and positioning help carve out catch space. One of his weaknesses is separation but he makes up for it with his hands. The highlight below shows his ability to catch in traffic.
I’m having a moment. pic.twitter.com/aJdM6WNzUo
— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) May 2, 2023
Not only does he secure the catch but he also gets both feet in. An amazing catch on a broken play.
-Highly competitive against bigger/stronger corners in 2022. Matt LaFleur’s offense needs receivers who can block. While his size is a concern there, the tape tells a different story.
Yeah Matt LaFleur & Jayden Reed are going to get along jussstttttt fine. pic.twitter.com/hfEDvpP3fq
— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) May 2, 2023
Yeah I love this guy. https://t.co/uJ3iMGlGD3 pic.twitter.com/g8gcJ03NKe
— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) May 2, 2023
In both of these plays, Reed completely takes out his man. The bubble screen one especially is a staple in the LaFleur offense.
-Makes winning plays on back-shoulder throws. Again, he plays bigger than his size. This back-shoulder throw ties the game against rival Michigan.
4th quarter, down 2, two point conversion upcoming… who says, “hey, let’s throw a fade to our 5’10” WR, one-on-one with 6’0” DJ Turner?
But when you have Jayden Reed, it’s probably the right call.
Tie game. pic.twitter.com/v1FbqqxUld
— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) May 2, 2023
4th and 2 with the game on the line and they choose to go to Reed. He can make big plays in big moments.
Weaknesses
-High percentage of career catch tries were contested. On the one hand, making contested catches is great. On the other, it means he struggles to get separation. The hope is that LaFleur and the offense can scheme him open and give him space to make a play in the open field.
-Doesn’t always finish his routes. He will need to play with more discipline and finish his routes. Again, I think that LaFleur can scheme easy routes for him to get in the open field but this will be something to work on long term.
-Loses catch focus working into the middle of the field. This is a common flaw of receivers who are good in the open field. As with a lot of receivers, he will have to work on securing the catch.
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The Jayden Reed scouting report shows the Green Bay Packers got a receiver with some great potential. He will need to polish his skills but for a second-round pick, he has great value. This young receiving corps is going to be fun to watch in 2023.
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