Jayden Reed on pace to do something no Spartan WR has done in 17 years

As a Lions fan, it’s difficult to stomach the fact that I have to actively root against Jayden Reed and Jalen Nailor. The two former Michigan State receivers play for the Packers and Vikings, respectively, and we’ve seen firsthand just how annoying it can be to face them.

But it’s always fair to root for the player and not for the team.

So when Nailor, Reed, and even Keon Coleman aren’t facing the Lions, it’s OK to want them to do well and for their respective teams to lose.

It’s even tougher to root for them to do well when their teams are solid or if they’re the top weapon on that team. For Reed, he’s arguably the No. 1 receiving option on the Packers along with Romeo Doubs and he’s on pace to do something that hasn’t been done by a Spartan receiver in the NFL since 2007.

That’s right, Reed is on pace to accomplish a feat that was last done by Plaxico Burress in 2007 and his former position coach at Michigan State almost did it back in 1993. What’s the feat? Reaching the 1,000-yard plateau as a receiver.

The last Spartan receiver to reach that mark was Plaxico with the New York Giants in 2007 and he did it four times in his NFL career. Courtney Hawkins came just 67 yards shy in 1993 which was his second year in the league.

If Reed keeps the pace he’s one, he will surpass that 1,000-yard mark and give Hawkins another notch on his coaching belt. He’s already produced three NFL wideouts in Reed, Nailor, and Coleman and hopefully soon he’ll be able to say that one went on to be a 1,000-yard receiver.

It’s getting increasingly difficult to recruit against Hawkins because he has a proven track record since 2020.

Reed currently has 29 catches and is 13th in the league with 452 receiving yards and 14th in the NFL with three receiving touchdowns. Let’s hope he keeps this pace (and the Packers don’t win the NFC North).