Josh Reynolds shined at Texas A&M, racking up big receiving numbers. Before playing for the Aggies, Reynolds played for Tyler Junior College. Texas A&M offered Reynolds a partial scholarship for hurdling coming out of high school, before he eventually decided to transfer there after receiving second-team all-conference honors as a JuCo player. Reynolds’ track and field experience shows his excellent athletic ability.
Pittsburgh Steelers Should Draft Josh Reynolds
In three seasons at Texas A&M, Reynolds recorded 164 receptions, 2,788 yards and 30 touchdowns. Reynolds exploded in his first season at Texas A&M recording 842 yards and 13 touchdowns. In his junior season, Reynolds was suspended one game for unspecified reasons. He ended 2015 with 907 yards, but only five touchdowns. However, in 2016, Reynolds put up enormous numbers again with 61 receptions for 1,039 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Martavis Bryant
Martavis Bryant is still waiting to see whether he will be reinstated for the 2017 season or not. Most people think that he will indeed be back, but it’s still not a sure thing and the Steelers may be thinking about drafting a wide receiver as his potential replacement. Sammie Coates started 2016 off well, seeming to be the replacement for Bryant that the Steelers needed, but injuries limited his production as the year went on. Reynolds has great size and long arms to allow him to go up and get deep balls like Bryant. Reynolds is also a home-run hitter and a red-zone threat as well, just like Bryant.
NFL Combine
Reynolds measured at 6’3″ and weighed 194 pounds at the combine. His arms measured at 31.5 inches and his hands measured at 9 3/8 inches. Reynolds ran a 4.52 40-yard dash and recorded a 37-inch vertical leap, showing his outstanding athletic ability. His broad jump was 124 inches. He ran the three-cone drill in 6.83 seconds, the 20-yard shuttle in 4.13 seconds and the 60-yard shuttle in 11.32 seconds.
Strengths
As previously stated, Reynolds is tall with long arms and is an outstanding leaper. He’s great at judging trajectory and distance with the ball in the air and has great hand-eye coordination. Reynolds is also a good blocker and can be physical when he needs to be. He’s extremely tough for his slender build. Reynolds has good speed and possesses a second gear when the ball is in the air to allow him to run away from defenders.
Weaknesses
While he’s tall and long, Reynolds has a thin frame with skinny legs. He can sometimes be bothered with press-coverage. Reynolds has good speed, but he’s a long-strider and has limited footwork and quickness. He struggles with hitch routes and wide receiver screen plays and has some trouble digging out low throws.
Conclusion
Reynolds would be yet another solid weapon for Ben Roethlisberger to use, especially in the red-zone where Roethlisberger has been searching for a new favorite target ever since Heath Miller retired. Reynolds can learn to improve his footwork and route-running from Antonio Brown. Even if Bryant ends up being reinstated, drafting Reynold would be a solid pick for the Steelers. His height and leaping ability will prove to be a huge factor in the red-zone in the NFL.
