The Green Bay Packers took Jayden Reed with the 50th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft thinking that he was a high-upside athlete with solid speed and big-play potential.
Through 10 games in his rookie season, Reed has proven to be all of that and more for Green Bay.
And yes, Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud is certainly the leading Rookie of the Year candidate. Other impressive rookies such as Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter and Los Angeles Rams wideout Puka Nacua are deservedly getting a ton of love as well. That said, it's time to put Reed's name on the hype list.
Case in point? His performance in Green Bay's most recent game, a 23-20 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Reed caught six catches for 46 yards, which isn't an eye-popping stat line at first glance. With that said, he averaged 11.5 yards per catch, which is a more-than-healthy number. He also flashed his incredible speed and athleticism as a gadget player in Green Bay's run game.
He was given the ball as a runner three times and he notched 46 yards. That included this beautiful 32-yard touchdown scamper.
We have a @JaydenReed5 Lambeau Leap!
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 19, 2023
TOUCHDOWN! #LACvsGB | #GoPackGo
: FOX pic.twitter.com/LIv6lpa9mC
That's the type of open-field speed that only a few players in this league have, and the Packers have to be thanking their lucky stars that one of them is a rookie on their roster.
Reed has caught 32 passes so far this season for 463 yards and four touchdowns, and frankly, he's only scratching the surface. He's also just now starting to find a groove with quarterback Jordan Love.
He's not going to be Rookie of the Year, but it's time to put some hype on this kid's name.
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