Jayden Reed could sneak into second round, NFL scout says

Former Michigan State star Jayden Reed could sneak into the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, says one former scout.

Jayden Reed has had an interesting career.

His college career began at Western Michigan where he earned Freshman All-American honors after catching 56 passes for 797 yards and eight touchdowns. Reed then transferred to Michigan State where he expected to play for Mark Dantonio.

After sitting out the 2019 season, which he had no idea would be Dantonio’s last, Reed suited up for Mel Tucker in 2020 and caught 33 passes for 407 yards and three scores in a COVID-19-shortened seven-game season.

All he did from there was get better.

As a junior in 2021, Reed was one of the best receivers in the Big Ten and the nation, catching 59 passes for 1,026 yards and 10 touchdowns. He decided to pass up the NFL for one final year.

(Oh, and did you know he played high school ball with Payton Thorne?)

Reed’s senior season, however, didn’t quite live up to expectations because of injuries he battled in the offseason and during the year. He still managed to catch 55 passes for 636 yards and five scores.

It wasn’t until after the season, however, that his NFL draft stock really took off.

Reed dominated at the Senior Bowl and was the practice receiver of the week for the event and then impressed at the NFL Combine (with one eye, mind you).

Reese’s Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy has been outspoken about his love of Reed’s game and the fact that he’s one of the best receivers in the class. The former NFL scout has been raving about him all offseason and his performance during the Senior Bowl only amped that up.

Now, Nagy is saying that Reed could sneak into the second round of the NFL draft.

Teams that do better job evaluating WR position, like #Steelers & #49ers, will have MSU’s Jayden Reed higher than majority.

Getting mostly third round feedback on Reed but could see him sneaking into second.@JaydenReed5 will out-perform many WRs projected to go earlier as pro. pic.twitter.com/2Yio0HSfRm

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) April 20, 2023

This goes against what we’ve been told all offseason to this point. We’ve been led to believe that Reed was likely a fourth or fifth-rounder, at best. But now? He looks like a guy who could get drafted on his birthday (Day 2).

If Jayden Reed sneaks into the second round, it’ll be much deserved. He has a chance to be Michigan State’s most successful NFL receiver in years.