Joe Reed WR, Virginia - Discussion

[Steve]

Ask the TE we have on the roster. I know one of the UDFA (FSU) has played FB and TE.

I wouldn't take a playmaker and try to turn him into a lead blocker. He is the kind of guy you want with the ball in his hands, not blocker for that person. He'd be a better decoy in the slot or outside.

[like54ninjas]

It’s Kiper but solid snapshot of a little Joe has to offer......

[like54ninjas]

When the Los Angeles Chargers selected Virginia wide receiver Joe Reed in the fifth round, they did so with an eye on using him in more than one role on offense. Reed confirmed as much during his post-draft interview, setting expectations fairly high for his NFL career.

Reed's college coach Bronco Mendenhall shares those aspirations for his former pupil.

"Well, we have a saying and I think Bill Belichick might have coined this," Mendenhall told Chris Hayre on the Chargers Weekly Podcast. "The more you can do, the more you can do. And then the more you can do, the more valuable you are. And so every roster is limited, right? You don't have the same quality of players but what if one player can do multiple things? And so Joe was kind of a one-size-fits-all. Do you need to return a kick? Okay, great. Do you need to go deep? Okay, great. Do you want to put him running back and hand him the ball? Awesome. Do you want to have yards after the catch, maybe on a tunnel screen? Great. So really, there's not much he can't do. And so really based on matchup, based on field position, and based on our intent, we could just kind of put them at the tip of the spear. And, that's almost Swiss Army Knife-ish, I would say."

While Reed has speed and play-making skills to operate as a traditional wide receiver, his size (6-foot, 224 pounds) allows him to handle responsibilities more typically associated with running backs. Virginia used him that way, motioning him around the formation before the snap in order to create advantageous matchups. The Chargers took a similar approach to Austin Ekeler last season and could use Reed in a similar manner. If Reed can acclimate quickly to the NFL and Los Angeles' offensive system, he has a chance to become a regular piece of the offense early in his career.

Perhaps just as importantly, Reed's college coach believes he will fit into the locker room and the organization seamlessly.

"He's authentic, sincere, genuine, through and through," Mendenhall said. "And that's so refreshing. There is no other motive and no other agenda other than trying to help the organization, better himself, serve other people, and be a great teammate. There's no more than that. So, it doesn't do any good to keep looking for more than that. That's who he is. And that's real. And so just acknowledging that right from the beginning, and sometimes it's even hard to imagine that someone is that pure. But his motives and his agenda are completely aligned with what's best for the organization, and how to help."

[Antonio’s Gates]

Joe Reed vs AJ Brown

Height: 6’0, 6’0 1/2

Weight: 224, 226

Hand size: 9 3/4, 9 3/4

40: 4.47, 4.49

Vert: 38”, 36 1/2”

Broad: 123”, 120”

Bench: 21, 19

[like54ninjas]

Joe Reed


Along with Hill, Reed is going to compete for the third receiver role behind Williams and Allen. Had someone asked me what I thought about Reed as a pro prospect a year ago, it felt like he would be almost exclusively a special teams player. He really developed as a receiver in 2019, as he had 52 more receptions than the previous season.

Volume went up for Reed in a big way as he became a more complete player. His yards per reception went down, but that’s actually good considering the reduction came from being more proficient at intermediate and inside routes.

Reed clocked in at a 4.47 40 time, but his in-game speed might actually be faster. His acceleration on kick returns and on the outside as a receiver is great.

He’ll probably start the season with kickoff returns as a speedy special teamer, but you’ll see him in the main receiving rotation sooner rather than later. The Chargers need to convert on deep throws, and it isn’t a bad idea to have someone who never dropped a 20+ yard pass in college in the group.

Another asset he brings to the table is viable kick returning. Benjamin, Desmond King, Troymaine Pope, and others have all tried to be the permanent special teams returner.

While King had some success in prior seasons, 2019 was below average in terms of his punt and kick returns. Averaging 29 yards per return for his college career and 33.2 yards per return in 2019, Reed could be the special teams threat the Chargers have been looking for.

Reed has also been open to the idea of coming out of the backfield. Between that, special teams returning, the slot, and the third receiver role in general, it’s clear that the LA Chargers view him as a swiss army knife of sorts.

[Velo]

My first impression of Joe Reed is Anquan Boldin with speed.

[21&500]

i've been busy at work but i just want to say thanks to ninja and all those putting up articles.
getting me so damn pumped, more than usual.

boltwaythehellup

[dmac_bolt]

Deebo is a more accurate comp vs Lamb.
I agree Joe will be used as an offensive weapon as a multifaceted WR who runs jet sweeps, bubbles, verts, and a variety of routes out of multiple offensive positions. He could get 15-20 touches a game. He is a threat to score everytime he gets the ball in his hands.

JR will get 20 touches a game? I would bring that down to maybe 5 offensive touches a game - if he makes he team.

[Xenos]

JR will get 20 touches a game? I would bring that down to maybe 5 offensive touches a game - if he makes he team.

I don't see how he wouldn't unless injuries happen or one of the UDFA steps up big time. Given what happened last season with our WR depth, I see him making the team and contributing.

[dmac_bolt]

I don't see how he wouldn't unless injuries happen or one of the UDFA steps up big time. Given what happened last season with our WR depth, I see him making the team and contributing.

I agree odds of making the team are decent - but he still has to make the roster. Then he has to make the active game day roster, and there his odds just dropped some but lets say he does for argument.

Then he’ll have to get more touches than Keenan, Ekeler, Kelly, Williams, Henry, Jackson? Because none of our proven stars get 20 touches - Kelly might if he proves to be a bell cow.

So I don’t see it - the best WRs in the league don’t average 20 touches a game on offense. if he gets 20 a game he must be really awesome so ... cool.

[Fleet]

[gzubeck]

I agree odds of making the team are decent - but he still has to make the roster. Then he has to make the active game day roster, and there his odds just dropped some but lets say he does for argument.

Then he’ll have to get more touches than Keenan, Ekeler, Kelly, Williams, Henry, Jackson? Because none of our proven stars get 20 touches - Kelly might if he proves to be a bell cow.

So I don’t see it - the best WRs in the league don’t average 20 touches a game on offense. if he gets 20 a game he must be really awesome so ... cool.

Maybe he's thinking special teams included. You might get 4-5 touches on kickoffs alone. Maybe another 5 with running and 5 with pass attempts. So I will say 15 touches on all available plays when he's ready to g0.