BACKGROUND: Jaylen "Jay" Reed grew up as an only child in Detroit with his mother (LaToyia Johnson), whom he considers his "best friend." Other family members in his life include his father (Terrance) and stepfather (Jimmie Mitchell). He started playing football in elementary school, and sports became an escape from any adversities he experienced. Reed attended Martin Luther King High in Detroit, where he shared a secondary with cornerback Sauce Gardner, who is two years older. Reed moved up to varsity as a sophomore and played linebacker and safety, helping the team to a 12-2 record and the 2018 Division 3 state championship. He finished that season with 64 tackles, two interceptions and one forced fumble. As a junior captain, Reed earned all-state and all-city honors with a team-high 119 tackles, eight forced fumbles and one interception (accounted for three defensive touchdowns). King played an abbreviated fall schedule in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Reed finished with 55 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and five sacks, earning all-state and all-metro honors. He also was selected as 2020 Black Athlete of the Year in the state of Michigan (other finalists included Damon Payne, Kalen King and Donovan Edwards). Reed also lettered in basketball and track (hurdles and relays) in high school. A four-star recruit, Reed was the 18th-ranked safety in the 2021 recruiting class and the No. 9 recruit in Michigan (one spot behind Kalen King, his future Nittany Lions teammate). After his sophomore season, he received his first offer from Cincinnati, which had just signed his mentor and friend, Gardner. Between his sophomore and junior seasons, Reed picked up more than a dozen major offers, including from Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Penn State and Pittsburgh. Georgia, Nebraska, Oregon and USC joined the mix after Reed's junior season. In April 2020, Reed committed to Penn State and became the sixth-ranked recruit in head coach James Franklin's 2021 class. Reed declined an invitation to the Senior Bowl. STRENGTHS: ● On-field aggressiveness and passion jump off the tape ● Bursty trigger and doesn't hesitate in his attack ● Fast and physical as a downhill striker ● Adjusts pacing and angles mid-pursuit to elude blocks without taking himself out of the play ● Built with solid muscle mass and finishes tackles with upper-body strength ● Understands route concepts in zone ● Times contact downfield to turn catches into incompletions (see 2024 West Virginia tape) ● Was used frequently as a blitzer and had a high success rate from various angles ● Credits high school teammate and mentor Sauce Gardner for "building" him into the player he is today ● Served as a team captain for six games in 2024 ● Durable — played in all 42 games past three seasons, including 29 straight starts WEAKNESSES: ● Always goes full speed and doesn't give himself much grace to recover if his angle is off ● Goes for kill shot too often ● Tackling technique is all over the place, leading to misses (see 2024 Ohio State and Boise State tapes) ● Falls off ball carriers when strike zone gets too high and dives at ankles when he stops his feet too early ● Shows range on the backend but can be a hair late reacting to throws outside the numbers ● Eyes get laser-focused on the quarterback, and he loses track of the route as a one-high player ● Four undisciplined penalties in 2024 (two personal foul late hits, two unsportsmanlike conducts) SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Penn State, Reed was an interchangeable safety in former defensive coordinator Tom Allen's 4-2-5 base scheme, playing two-high, one-high and matched up against the slot. After joining a safety room that included future top-100 draft picks Jaquan Brisker and Ji'Ayir Brown, he emerged as an impact defender for the Nittany Lions in 2024, leading the team in tackles (98) and interceptions (three). With his enforcer mentality, Reed is a blur working downhill, especially as a blitzer, and doesn't have a passive bone in his body. His tackling technique looks different from play to play, however, and the misses add up. He has the range to cover ground and explodes into the catch point in coverage, but his streaky angles and eye discipline can leave him out of position. Overall, Reed has the athletic traits and competitive urgency NFL teams want on their rosters, but he might be stuck as a backup and special-teamer until he cuts down on costly mistakes. He has starting potential in the post if he finds better consistency.
