Jaylen Reed has become one of Penn State’s premier secondary defenders as they push for a playoff spot. His run-stopping abilities have been a major factor in their success and is a heat-seeking missile moving downhill. Here is a 2025 NFL Draft Early Scouting Report and film analysis on him.
Overview, Film Analysis, and Early 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report of Penn State DB Jaylen Reed
Measurables:
- 6’0”
- 212 lbs
Player Background:
Jaylen Reed was originally a consensus Top-25 safety recruit in the class of 2021 and a Top-10 prospect in Michigan. He appeared in eight total games his freshman season, starting none, and tallied six tackles. The departure of Jaquan Brisker allowed him to assume a larger role and he increased his tackles total to 31. The greater opportunity also led to him adding two tackles-for-loss and three pass breakups to his stat line.
Reed started every game he played in his junior campaign, manning the safety position on the Nittany Lions defense. He once again added to his previous tackle mark, bumping his solo tackle count to 32 and total tackle count to 46. He doubled his 2022 TFL amount with four and while he only accounted for one PBU, he notched his first two collegiate INTs. Reed was again the team’s starting S entering 2024 and is en route to his best year by far.
Accolades:
- All Big-10 Honorable Mention (2023)
- AP Second Team Midseason All-American (2024)
- Reese’s Senior Bowl Second Team Midseason All-American (2024)
Strengths/Pros:
Jaylen Reed is an excellent defender when he’s able to work downhill and fully attack plays. He diagnoses run play’s opening as they happen and can maneuver between multiple areas at the line of scrimmage. His instincts fully come to life when he keeps the play in front of him and in stays controlled. He understands leverage and angles enough to position himself well in those situations and shuts plays down. His late-play pursuit is impressive, and he accelerates and launches himself with precision to make plays on the ball carrier.
His build isn’t massive, but he showcases effective power when disrupting momentum-based runners. His ability to finish tackles when he has worse leverage also pops on tape. Positionally, he gives himself an edge by being serviceable at both deep safety and in the box. He keeps the play in front of him consistently as a deep safety and doesn’t tend to get beat deep.
Weaknesses/Cons:
As a pure coverage defender, Reed often attempts to do more than he’s capable of. He’s very choppy in zone coverage and needs to become more comfortable to avoid getting faked. He routinely tries to cover more ground than he physically can and leaves more assignments untouched as a result. When playing closer to the line, he doesn’t sink very well into his backpedal and isn’t able to gain as much ground as he should.
He needs to trust underneath defenders more, routinely moving too much when passing off assignments. He looks indecisive a lot on blitzes and doesn’t get pressure as quickly as he should. When working downhill, his one major flaw is trying to force it too much and losing his leverage. His anticipation of quarterbacks’ angles and eyes also has room to improve and needs to shed blocks quicker.
Potential Team Fits:
NFL Projection:
Jaylen Reed’s NFL future is likely that of a rotational run-stopping hybrid safety. If he’s able to put on some weight, he could find a niche as a Jamal Adams-type player who works downhill constantly. He could operate mostly in the box with teams allowing him to use his physicality to defend the interior. Much of his pro outlook depends on how teams choose to develop him and what route they take with his skillset. Reed has the coverage skills to survive on an NFL defense but has too many deficiencies to grade out as a long-term starter.
Prospect Grade:
- Late 4th Round to Early 5th Round
Film Exposures:
- 2024 vs. Illinois
- 2024 vs. Penn State
- 2023 vs. Michigan
Main Image: Jeff Hanisch – USA Today Sports
