GM Tim Ruskell sure likes production out of his draft prospects, and they don't get much more productive than former Oregon DE Nick Reed.
After finishing up his career with school records in sacks and tackles for a loss, Reed still found himself out of the combine and almost out of the draft.
That's because he lacks the physical ability ideal for an NFL prospect, but in the seventh round, Ruskell was willing to take a chance.
To continue...
Nick Reed
6-2
245 pounds
College stats:
The skills
Reed is undersized. He isn't strong enough, and his speed and quickness won't be good enough to beat most NFL linemen to the edge. So what makes him of any value?
For one, he has a terrific motor in the vein of a Patrick Kerney. He won't stop hustling on a play until it's blown dead. Combined with a vast array of pass-rush moves and you have one of the best pass rushers in the country.
Several teams were looking at Reed to be a linebacker, and he may have been a good fit at inside linebacker in a 3-4 since he has good instincts for reading the offense.
In Seattle, he'll need to be a force on special teams and an edge rusher.
Rookie projection
Reed's prospects for making the team don't look good. As it is, there are four players guaranteed to make the team at defensive end, assuming Cory Redding is listed there.
That leaves Reed, third-year pro Baraka Atkins and second-year pro Brandon Miller. If the team keeps five, then only one of these players will make the team.
Miller can automatically be discounted probably. He has talent but consistently underperformed in college. Even as a senior, he couldn't keep a starting job at Georgia and is a ways off from contributing in the NFL.
Atkins was another talented player who underperformed in college, and he's yet to make an impact in Seattle. His strength is run containment though, and defensive ends don't get substituted out for run defense. If it weren't for Lawrence Jackson's presence, he'd be a valuable bench player.
Reed is a situational pass rusher only and will need to not only prove himself in that respect, but he'll need to make himself invaluable to the team on special teams if he wants to stick.
But like many seventh rounders, he seems destined for the practice squad:
0 tackles
0 sacks
The long projection
Reed has a chance to make the team and be a part of the defensive line rotation as a pass rusher. He has plenty of skill in that area, he just needs to prove that NFL linemen won't be able to easily push him around.
If Reed can strengthen some and improve his endurance then he should have what it takes to stick around in the NFL.
The best-case scenario is he becomes the next Darryl Tapp, but what's more likely is he becomes the defensive end version of Craig Terrill.
Terrill was a sixth-round pick in 2004 but didn't become a permanent fixture on the team until 2005.
Reed's path will probably be the same, never a starter but a valuable end-of-the-bench player. He won't be in the game often, but when he does he'll make an impact and get sacks, which should make him a fan favorite.
Reach Jeff Richards at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
