War Room analysis Strengths: Outstanding hands. Has the ability to snatch the ball and catch away from his body. Excellent on balls above his head and will catch over the middle. Outstanding concentration. Hands are very soft and he can make the acrobatic catch in traffic. Makes great adjustments on bad balls. Runs great patterns. Good courage over the middle -- will take a hit and still make the catch. Excellent at finding open areas in zone or man-to-man. Great feel for coverages. Knows how to separate and get open. Is quicker than he is fast and uses excellent moves and plant and drive to separate. No wasted motion. Does not round off cuts. Very shifty and has the quickness and feet to avoid the jam. Isn’t asked to block often, but is willing to fight to make contact and finish the block. Excellent release. Has a great first step and is at his best in short to intermediate routes and crossing patterns. Plays a lot bigger than his measurables would indicate. Weaknesses: Does not have great deep speed. Is not a true burner and is quicker than he is fast. Will probably never be a receiver who will stretch defenses vertically. Bottom Line: Outside of his lack of height and pure speed, Reed is exactly what you look for in a wide receiver prospect. He has tremendous quickness and hands. He is a threat after the catch in the open field and very few receivers coming out of college have a feel for coverage like Reed does. He is experienced beyond his years and his production over a two-year span speaks for itself. There is no off-the-field or attitude problems with Reed -- he is simply a playmaker who should make for a great short-to-intermediate receiver in the NFL.
