After going defense again in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst was tasked with finding some offensive playmakers to complement new starting quarterback Jordan Love on Friday. Gutekunst found a pair of tight ends in Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft. But the best move from Round 2 might be trading back to pick up Jayden Reed, a dynamic slot receiver out of Michigan State.
Reed isn’t going to intimidate too many people when he steps off the bus. However, his highlight reel will have Packers fans salivating in the lead-up to the regular season. From his knack for slipping tackles and being elusive near the line of scrimmage, to his ability to contribute alongside Keisean Nixon in the return game, there’s plenty to love about his fit on Green Bay’s roster. Add in some 4.45 speed in the 40 alongside what Lance Zierlien of NFL.com calls “unquestioned” ball skills, and Reed is exactly what you would design as a perfect fit alongside Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs in a young, talented wide receiver corps.
Reed should be able to find a niche immediately helping Love convert on third downs, which is something that the Packers struggled with last season. After a late-season spike, Green Bay raised its third-down conversion percentage to 39.5%, which is still a good 10 percentage points lower than league leaders (and, unsurprisingly, the best teams in the league) in the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, and Cincinnati Bengals. The Packers will also have to replace the production on third down that Allen Lazard brought to the table, converting a team-high 45 first downs a season ago, including 18 third-down conversions, which put him inside the top 10 in the league in that category. Adding in the losses of Robert Tonyan and (presumably) Randall Cobb, both of whom were reliable on third down, and there will be targets available for someone like Reed.
Reed’s skillset will allow him to do just that. While he might not be Davante Adams at the line of scrimmage, his scouting reports and game tape show a player who can get an excellent release and stay elusive across the middle of the field, eating up yards after catch that are a godsend within any offense. Reed can overcome what he lacks in the size department with body control and head fakes that help create the separation needed to find a window for Love to connect. And he has the ability to extend catches into explosive plays, with 46 catches of 20-plus yards over his final two seasons at Michigan State.
In the afterglow of the draft, it’s not only fun to gush about the fit of a player within the offense but also the value of the pick relative to where he was drafted. Gutekunst came into Friday’s second round with the 42nd and 45th selections, but he traded back out of that second selection, dropping just five spots and adding two more solid pieces.
Knowing that Green Bay was also able to grab Dontayvion Wicks out of Virginia and what might be a huge steal in Karl Brooks in the sixth round makes the pick that much more likeable, at least in the short term. Maybe it’s just a silly fan thing, but knowing that a team was able to draft a fun impact player without having to reach for him adds to the perception of his value, even though it doesn’t change much about his potential performance on the field.
Lastly — and either most important or least important, depending on who you ask — the vibes are good with Reed. Every second-round wideout the Packers have drafted since they took Greg Jennings out of Western Michigan in 2006 has been an absolute stud, and Reed will immediately be lumped into that category. Jennings, Jordy Nelson in 2008, Cobb in 2011, Davante Adams in 2014, and Christian Watson in 2022 present a lofty bar to clear for Reed, but the potential is certainly there. Add in that he chose No. 11, a spectacular jersey selection. If he can ascend past wideout legends such as Sammy Watkins, Trevor Davis, and Jarrett Boykin; backup quarterbacks Matt Hasselbeck and Ty Detmer; or the immortal punting duo of B.J. Sander and David Beverly, Reed could be the best player to wear No. 11 in no time.
