Jarran Reed was Seattle’s steal of the draft
Jarran Reed fell out of the first round and right into the lap of the Seahawks.
Coming into the 2016 NFL Draft, Reed was rated as one of the top defensive tackle prospects in a very deep class of them. Some boards had him going as high as number 21 and ranked him third overall at DT.
Maybe it was just a surplus of depth at the position, maybe it was foolishness by 31 other teams. Whatever it was, Jarran Reed coming to Seattle at #49 was one of the better steals of this year’s draft.
Replacing Brandon Mebane had to be considered a top priority for the Seahawks this offseason. By landing Reed in the second round Seattle’s defense not only did that but they upgraded. While he was a fan favorite, it’s not hard to see that Mebane is past his prime. During the 2015 season he was ranked #70 at defensive tackle by Pro Football Focus. His run defense rating (64.3) was slipping each year and it was time to rectify that.
Jarran Reed can do many things for Seattle’s defensive line. Run defense is his specialty though, as we witnessed at the Senior Bowl.
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Jarran Reed: Ready to start Week 1?
There is of course no guarantee that Jarran Reed will work out in the NFL. However, those who are in the know expect him to start right away. Here’s what ESPN’s Sheil Kapadia had to say on Reed:
“Reed is expected to win the starting nose tackle job and replace Brandon Mebane… John Schneider called him the best run-defending defensive lineman in the draft.”
Not everyone agrees with Schneider’s assessment. Some people think that the top run defender was Jonathan Bullard (who somehow fell to the Bears in the third round) but Reed has all the skills he needs to succeed at nose tackle.
Past Seahawks draft picks have shown that the team has an affinity for bright students as well as football players. Jarran Reed definitely fits that description. According to Michael Casagrande at AL.com, Reed once wrote a 20 page paper on the dangers of NFL players going broke after their careers are over. While he was still in high school.
Speaking of money, since Reed did not get picked in the first round he missed out on several million in potential earnings. Spotrac is projecting that he will earn $4.8 million on his first deal with the Seahawks. For a top notch run defender that’s a real bargain.
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