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GREEN BAY, Wis. — Jayden Reed’s phone read “Scam Likely” on the night of April 28, 2023. He was quietly watching the second round of the NFL Draft but didn’t figure it was anything important. After all, he thought he’d be a fourth-round pick based on feedback from scouts during the pre-draft process.
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Reed’s agent made him pick up the phone, however, and the Packers were on the line.
Reed, the Packers’ dynamic 23-year-old receiver, wouldn’t need to try hard to name all the wideouts taken ahead of him in April. There were only five: Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba to the Seahawks at No. 20, TCU’s Quentin Johnston to the Chargers at No. 21, Boston College’s Zay Flowers to the Ravens at No. 22, USC’s Jordan Addison to the Vikings at No. 23 and Ole Miss’ Jonathan Mingo to the Panthers at No. 39. But Reed doesn’t seem to care who was taken ahead of him at No. 50 in the second round.
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“I don’t really look at that, nah,” Reed told The Athletic on Monday. “I just think everything happens for a reason. Everybody gets put in a certain position, certain place for a reason. I’m just grateful for where I got drafted. I honestly didn’t think I was gonna go as high, but I did. Thank the lord and my hard work has paid off.
“I’m not a hater in any sort of way. Some people can do that, but I just don’t think that’s gonna help me focus on what I need to get better at, so I don’t really pay attention to that.”
Packers running back AJ Dillon said during the preseason that Reed reminded him of prime Randall Cobb, and not only because Reed is listed at 5-foot-11 and 187 pounds, a similar build to that of the former Packers slot receiver. Dillon said he watched that tape of Cobb with Green Bay from the early 2010s and while Reed flashed similar attributes this summer, Dillon cautioned that the rookie hadn’t done anything that counted yet. Eleven games into his rookie year, Reed has shown why Dillon wasn’t too far off in his comparison.
Present but not practicing today:
A. Jones
Dillon
Deguara
Released:
Melton
J. Robinson
Practicing after missing game:
Alexander
Campbell
Wicks
R. Ford
Stokes back practicing and designated to return off IR. Savage still practicing.
PT and Merriweather are the healthy RBs: pic.twitter.com/5xKcEBdypq
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) November 27, 2023
The Packers have used Reed in a multitude of ways — as a punt returner, on end arounds, on jet sweeps and lined up as a traditional receiver. With what he’s done in those snaps — he’s played 417, more than 59 percent of Green Bay’s offensive snaps, second-most among wide receivers — there’s enough sample size to not only back up Dillon’s claim but wonder whether Reed can be even more impactful as he continues to grow in the Packers’ offense.
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Among rookie wide receivers, Reed ranks first in rushes of at least 10 yards (four), tied for second in plays of at least 20 yards (10) and third in total touchdowns (six) and yards per catch (13.8).
“I think the numbers are more reflective of him making the most out of his opportunities because you never quite know where the ball’s going to go and just a lot of it is coverage-dependent, and when it’s came his way, he’s made plays,” head coach Matt LaFleur said. “I just think with experience, naturally, it happens for most and he’s a talented guy … it means a lot to him and I just really love his mentality. I think he’s wired the right way mentally in terms of just how he attacks it. Not that it’s always going to be perfect, but when he does make a mistake, there’s no flinch to him. He just keeps it moving and he doesn’t get rattled. He doesn’t allow one play to affect the next and we expect him to continue to grow and develop.”
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The Packers have relied heavily on Reed since Week 1 when they called his number on the second play from scrimmage of the season, returned multiple punts and tied for the team lead with five targets. Entering Week 13, he’s done nothing for that faith to wane, as he ranks second in targets (59) behind only wideout Romeo Doubs (69), second in receptions (36), first in receiving yards (497) and second in total touchdowns (six). Reed may be small in stature, but he has strong hands (Pro Football Focus charges him with three drops, two of which came in Week 3), speed that pops (Next Gen Stats clocked him at 21.52 miles per hour on his 32-yard touchdown run in Week 11, tied for the eighth-fastest top speed in the NFL this season) and an ability to make contested catches in big moments, as he did on the opening drive of last Thursday’s upset win over the Lions for a touchdown.
He has an innate knack for the big play, too, as evidenced by the aforementioned numbers. He’s also shown it in the last three games. He hauled in a 35-yard touchdown pass against the Steelers to bring the Packers within four late in the first half. He took an end around 32 yards for a touchdown for a second-quarter lead against the Chargers. He also somehow held onto a 10-yard touchdown to strike first against the Lions amid heavy congestion in the middle of the field after wide receiver Christian Watson ran the wrong route and brought his defender with him.
“Eleven is a playmaker,” wide receivers coach Jason Vrable said of Reed. “He was in college and he’s been doing that since he’s been here.”
.@JaydenReed5 with a TD on the opening drive!#GBvsDET | #GoPackGo
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/3KeWUG3qbR
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 23, 2023
In other words, Reed is going to be a certified guy for the Packers. Scratch that. He already is one.
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“It was right away,” quarterback Jordan Love said recently of when Reed caught his eye. “He came into camp and you could tell what kind of player he was. And then obviously just how he stacks his days, continues to work. He’s eager to learn and grow every day and now he’s just going out there and playing, playing free, playing fast and he’s making plays. He’s playing at a high level right now.”
Reed credited his improved chemistry with Love on the field to particular meetings off it, ones that all the offensive skill players have together without coaches on every Tuesday off day. They watch tape together of the upcoming opponent’s defense and Reed thinks those sessions allow everyone to see certain things from the same perspective and develop a trust with their quarterback.
Those meetings are now paying off, as the Packers have won three of their last four games to resuscitate their playoff hopes ahead of a Sunday Night Football tilt against the Chiefs at Lambeau Field. They’ve scored more than 20 points in consecutive games after not doing so for the prior seven. Right at the center of that resurgence has been the shifty rookie Reed, who might be next in a line of prolific second-round receivers drafted by the Packers, after Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Cobb and Davante Adams (Watson could join that list, too).
If what we’ve seen so far is any indication of what’s to come, Reed’s name could be mentioned right alongside those others, even if he didn’t think he would go that high. That’s how encouraging the early returns have been.
“He’s far from a finished product,” LaFleur said, “but I think that he’s got a very bright future.”
(Photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
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