By: Michael Higgins

School: Michigan State (Senior)

Position: WR

HT: 6’0

WT: 185 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #83

Jayden Reed was originally a 3-star recruit out of Aurora, Illinois. Reed attended Metea Valley High School, where he was somewhat of a lightly recruited wide receiver. He did not crack the top 1500 recruits in the class of 2018. Despite having a lack of high-level recruiting in high school, Reed still brought home plenty of honors and nominations. He was named to the First Team All-State for Division 8 in the state of Illinois and the USA Today First Team All-Illinois. Reed was one of the best receivers in the state, but due to his small school and him being a late bloomer, he received less attention than other receivers. He received offers from Central Michigan, Toledo, and Miami (OH), but ultimately chose to commit to Western Michigan. Reed had an amazing true freshman season at Western Michigan, which enabled him to transfer to a bigger stage and play for Michigan State. As a junior, Reed was named to the All-America First Team by the AFCA. Jayden Reed is a quick and dynamic receiver for the Spartans.

He specializes in the short to intermediate areas of the field where he can get the ball in his hands and look to make a play with yards after the catch. Reed is involved in pre-snap motion where he can be used at the mesh point to take a handoff or even run the occasional jet sweep. He has consistent and reliable hands, rarely dropping the ball. The offense flows through Reed and his ability to make a play with the ball in his hands. Reed is a technician in his routes, not necessarily with stop and go techniques, but he is slippery. He can find the soft spot in defensive zones and sit there until the quarterback gives him the ball. Reed has a knack for getting open. Jayden Reed can also provide value to a team’s special teams unit as a returner. Reed was a productive returner throughout his collegiate career and his special teams background will certainly help him see more time on the field.

Jayden Reed has a lot of upside as an incoming receiver, but his age and size are two things out of his control that are working against him. Reed, a redshirt senior, is an older prospect that took his time to develop in college. Reed is also a smaller receiver and may be limited to a slot role. His size also negatively impacts his length, his arms measured at 30 ½ inches, which would put him in the 22nd percentile for the position. His catch radius is smaller than you may like out of a receiver. Additionally, he is not the same type of threat in the deep areas of the field that he is closer to the line of scrimmage. If you need a chunk play from Reed, you have to get the ball in his hands quickly and hope that he can make something happen after the catch.

Jayden Reed is looking to be a productive player in the slot of an offense and as a returner. His offensive limitations may cause him to slide down certain draft boards, but he will be able to contribute immediately in multiple phases of the game.

Scheme Fit: Spread Offense with plenty of pre-snap motion

Ideal Role: Slot Receiver

Best Team Fits: LVR, PHI, NYG

Player Comparison: Randall Cobb

Player Grade: 74.6