NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Jordan Reed, TE Florida

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TE Jordan Reed

Green Bay Packers NFL Draft prospect profile: TE Jordan Reed

Player Information:

Jordan Reed, RB North Carolina
6-2, 236 pounds
Hometown: New London, CT

STATS

NFL Combine:

40 yard: 4.72

Bench: 16

News and Notes:

Jordan Reed is one of the more interesting prospects when he joined the Florida Gators as a man with no position.  A high school quarterback that lead his team to an undefeated season, the Gators first tried him out at running back where he gained 335 rushing yards on 44 carries (4.4 ypc) in his freshmen year.  He then made the transition to tight end where he lined up everywhere including inline, in the slot and bunch formations.  While Reed offers up an intriguing skill set he also carries much personal baggage that may ultimately cause his draft stock to fall.

 What they’re saying about him: 

  • CBSSports.com: “Reed is a fluid and flexible athlete with smooth body control and controlled balance. He flashes WR moves after the catch with quick, elusive feet and deceiving speed to run away from defenders.  Reed shows smooth athleticism in his routes, creating separation with sharp footwork and quick body movements. He has reliable hands and does a nice job holding onto the ball after a big hit, proving his ability and toughness over the middle of the field.”
  • NFL.com: “Used from a variety of spot along the formation: inline tight end, detached tight end, receiver, H-back, and even some running back. Adequate blocker when able to ride the shoulder and drive. Resets and gets after his assignment in the running game if missed the first time. Very smooth in breaks on outside breaking routes. Shines with the ball in hand, makes moves in space like a big running back with agility. Consistently makes oncoming defenders miss with hops, cuts, or speed. Flashes getting physical to earn the first down or extra yard at the end of runs. Good mix of hands catching and letting it into his body against tight coverage.”

 

Video:

 

Video Analysis:

  • My first impression is that Reed was miscast in the Florida offense.  Why use Reed primarily as an inline blocker when he’s a much better receiver than blocker? He doesn’t he have the size/functional strength to really excel as a blocker.  Reed was reportedly benched for insubordination in a bowl game and supposedly had “character issues”, which presumably did not land Reed in the good graces of the coaching staff so perhaps all the blocking assignments were something of a forced act of penitence (or maybe all the blocking assignments lead to the insubordination, who knows?)  Arguably, character issues alone would probably strike off Reed from the Packers’ board, but circumstances are important; a couple years ago the Packers drafted Brad Jones who was also in the dog pound in Colorado but since then he’s been nothing but a solid player and good teammate. Also keep in current tight ends Jermichael Finley and Andrew Quarless were also character concerns coming out of college as well.
  • Perhaps the most impressive trait that Reed possesses is his ability after the catch; he’s quicker than fast but has great lateral agility that makes him look like a slot receiver like Welker or Cobb in some instances.
  • Very smooth athlete, uses his good body control to create separation from defenders.
  • Soft hands and a natural pass catcher.  Also has a pretty good catching radius.
  • Nascent route runner; isn’t very sudden when changing directions and will need to expand on his route tree to be successful in the NFL.  I believe he has the physical ability to become one of the better route runners in the NFL, but will need a lot of coaching up.
  • An adequate blocker given his distinct lack of size; held his own in a couple of instances but was often caught lunging with his head down at defenders, often leading to whiffed blocks.
  • Lacks the size or speed to fit into the new mold of tight ends like Jimmy Graham or Jermichael Finley.  He fits more into the role of the H-back/joker role of DJ William or his Gator predecessor Aaron Hernandez.

If drafted by the Packers

In the base case scenario the Packers draft the next Greg Jennings, only bigger.  Jennings was neither the fastest nor the biggest wide receiver but was deceptively fast, ran exceptionally smooth and precise routes and caught the ball effortlessly.  Jordan Reed almost mirrors those sentiments, he is neither the biggest nor fastest tight end, but is deceptively fast, runs exceptionally smooth routes and can catch the ball effortlessly.  However, the worst case scenario is probably former Gator Percy Harvin, who while exceptionally talented also comes with a laundry list of character issues, which ultimately lead to the VIkings trading him away.  If drafted by the Packers, Reed probably starts on special teams but could develop in two different forms.  One form is as the H-back (what DJ Williams presumably was supposed to become) with his experience in both running the ball and blocking, Reed would be an optimal candidate to be the successor of do it all fullback John Kuhn.  The more attractive form would be Aaron Hernandez, who operates in essence as a big wide receiver capable of creating mismatches against both cornerback and linebackers in space.  In the end, it really comes down to the interview, if Reed is genuine and either indadvertedly rubbed some coaches the wrong way or was caught up in coaching politics (which does happen), then the Packers should have no issue picking Reed.  If on the other hand they find a player with a me-first mentality and questionable character, the Packers will most likely steer clear until the end of the draft.

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Thomas Hobbes is a staff writer for Jersey Al’s AllGreenBayPackers.com.

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18 thoughts on “NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Jordan Reed, TE Florida

  1. Character issues are all relative, and right now this is not a glaring hole to fill on the Packer roster.

    Now, the DL is a different matter, and Johnny Jolly (God help him) is potentially addressing a major need. Good guy in a bad place or not, he’s had a hard time making good decisions…but it’s easy to overlook when your defense is getting lit up by average RBs.

    1. Actually I’m kinda of avoiding the “big name” draftee’s this year since I think it’s more interesting to watch lesser known players and you know Thompson will draft someone you’ve never heard of. My take on Reed is that he isn’t a high draft pick but as a late round pick offers good potential and has the capacity to be molded into a couple different types of player, which makes him interesting as well.

  2. Given how several teams were VERY interested in Jared Cook, maybe the time is ripe to at least consider trading JMF (especially if Jennings is re-singed).

    One would think that his trade value would be very high, and I am not sure that the 2014 GBP will be able to afford his services, regardless. If Percy Harvin is worth a 1st round pick, plus, and Jared Cook is worth $18 million guaranteed, up to a possible $38 million, it seems that there is quite the market for slot receiving options this year.

    Maybe JMF would net a high 2nd round pick in trade, while clearing $8 million plus from the books this year. Jennings could then be re-signed, possibly along with some other FAs, such as Chris Canty, and still have money to extend Rodgers and Mathews.

    Another ting to consider, assuming that Jennings leaves in FA, is that the GBP should be in-line to get a good compensatory pick in 2014, IF THEY DON’T SIGN ANY OTHER FREE AGENTS. If they sign Canty or Steven Jackson, for instance, they would forfeit most of the compensation that they would otherwise get for the loss of Jennings. That makes re-signing Jennings more appealing if TT would also like to sign other FAs, but less appealing if he stands pat in free agency.

    Maybe the above partially explains why he is active in free agency some years, and not others.

    1. Canty is already off the market (Baltimore).

      Also, as another poster mentioned in the Walden article, Erik Walden’s signing a $16m contract with the Colts and the fact he’s being given the opportunity to potentially take a starting role is even more fodder to give the Packers a potentially nice compensatory pick in ’14.

    2. I wouldn’t use the Percy Harvin trade as a standard, I personally thought the move was bad for Seattle and overall I think the impression in the media is the same. The other bigger problem is Finley’s relatively high contract. Harvin was still in his rookie deal, which helps and Cook was a unrestricted free agent, so teams knew they had to pay market value for his services. Finley’s cap value is already $8 million and unless they manage to strike a deal with Finley before the trade, you in essence get him for an expensive 1 year tryout. But who knows, as they say it only takes one.

      1. I agree that any potential trade would likely require a multi-year contract to be in place.

        I hear that Finley’s camp is “on pins and needles” over the Jennings situation, as they feel that he would likely have to either take a pay cut or be released if Jennings is resigned. I think that a trade is a viable 3rd option, however.

        SF’s pick at 34 would make some sense, but I would hate to see what that team would do to the rest of the league with JMF, Vern Davis, Crabtree and Boldin catching passes from Kaepernick. Add in a dominant O line and Defense and you have the ’94 Cowboys! Gross.

        1. I highly doubt the Packers would get anywhere near a 1st round pick for Finley, let alone with San Francisco if they were to try to trade him. If Jennings (and maybe even if Steven Jackson) are signed and the Packers feel like they want to move away from Finley’s salary, other teams will know it and lowball the Packers. The Packers essentially have no leverage, Finley isn’t likely going to accept a pay cut, and other teams are just waiting to see what happens with him.

      2. I think that Seattle got the best end of the deal by a significant margin.

        Harvin is a difference-making talent and, unlike common belief, is neither “injury prone” nor crippled by migraine headaches. He hasn’t had a migraine in 2 years, and has missed only 3 games in 3 years (prior to his ankle injury last year.) (Rotoworld)

        1. Both of those statements are a little dubious, while he hasn’t missed a game due to migranes who know if Harvin still suffers from them, also he’s played a lot of game hurt where he wasn’t all that effective. I would argue that the Seahawks could have waited and gotten Harvin at a cheaper price, everyone knew he wanted to get out of Minnesota so they should have stood firm

    3. I think they would rather pay the 25 yr old Finley than the 30 yr old Jennings. When is Finley due his bonus?

  3. “Maybe the above partially explains why he is active in free agency some years, and not others.”

    I tend to agree…it’s like buying that new boat in the year you know your tax return is coming in big. You’re getting a payback, so you’re willing to spend a little in advance.

    1. I would say the Packer’s economic model is built on success i.e. the team believes that the better the product they put on the field the more money they will make, hence they have to be quite judicious with their spending since they know one big mistake could take years to recover from. On the other hand, the Jet’s economic model is built on publicity i.e. the more news we make the more money they will make. Sadly, as the Cubs and Maple Leafs have shown, you can be quite profitable while having a terrible team.

    1. You never know, look at how many star players were either low round draft picks or even undrafted free agents. I would argue that one of the big reasons why the Packers are so successful is their relatively high success rate in the lower rounds and with undrafted rookie free agents

  4. Drop Finley and get out from under his contract and pick-up Jordan Reed if the opportunity arises–at least this guy can catch–he’s a playmaker and has been his entire career at Florida!

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