Most Intriguing Seahawks: No. 5, DT Jarran Reed
Jul 29, 2016, 3:53 PM | Updated: 4:02 pm
Jarran Reed, a favorite to be a Seahawks' starting defensive tackle, was carted off the field Wednesday. (AP)
(AP)
Each day until the start of training camp, “Brock and Salk” is talking with an NFL analyst and counting down the 25 most intriguing players on the Seahawks’ roster. “Two-a-days” continued with Ross Tucker of SiriusXM and NBC Sports Network as the guest and Jarran Reed as the fifth-most intriguing Seahawk. The segment on Reed is embedded above. My thoughts are below.
• Position: DT
• Height/Weight: 6-3, 311
• Experience: Rookie
• Acquired: Second-round pick, 2016
Overview: Reed was widely considered a first-round talent and was the last player left in the green room at the 2016 NFL Draft, which speaks to why many think the Seahawks pulled off a coup to get him in the second round with the 49th overall pick. In fact, he was the highest player left on the Seahawks’ draft board when their turn came up late in the first round, but they instead took Germain Ifedi to fill a more urgent need on their offensive line. A round later they made a trade to move up and snatch Reed, which marked just the third time John Schneider had done that since he became the Seahawks’ general manager in 2010. Reed is a relatively low-risk pick, too, considering how well defensive linemen tend to fare in the NFL coming out of Nick Saban’s program at Alabama. Saban, for one, is a believer in how well the Seahawks made off in getting Reed when they did. “I think they got a steal, to be honest with you, because I really felt like (Reed) was a first-round guy,” Saban told “Brock and Salk” in May. “I do think he’s an every-down player. The guy can play the run, he’s athletic, he’s a really, really good competitor and I do believe that he can pass-rush enough, and continue to develop his pass-rush ability, to be a good inside-rush guy. I think they got an outstanding player.”
The intrigue: The Seahawks need a new anchor at nose tackle after the departure of Brandon Mebane in free agency, and the hope is that they can plug Reed into that role as a rookie. It’s very possible Reed does more than just that, though. One reason: Reed doesn’t have the same kind of body type you see in traditional nose tackles like Mebane (6-1, 311) or fellow Alabama alum Marcell Dareus (6-3, 331), and that suggests that he could be versatile enough to be more than just an early-down player in the future. “I think he’s a little bit of a leaner athlete,” 710 ESPN Seattle’s Danny O’Neil said. “I think that the Seahawks believe, and when John Schneider talks about the upside, that he’s got more of a possibility of being more of a pass-rusher.” Another positive about his body type is that he joined the Seahawks already looking like a grown man as opposed to carrying some baby fat like previous Seahawks D-line draft picks Jordan Hill, Cassius Marsh, Jesse Williams and Frank Clark.
2016 outlook: John Clayton of 710 ESPN Seattle expects Reed to win a starting job on run downs, though the Seahawks have insurance if he struggles with the free-agent addition of Sealver Siliga. If that goes well, and if Clark progresses in his second year as many think he will, Reed could factor into an evolution of the Seahawks’ defensive line that sees them become more of a threat in pass-rushing situations.
Most Intriguing Seahawks: 25, DL Quinton Jefferson; 24, WR Kasen Williams; 23, WR Paul Richardson; 22, G Mark Glowinski; 21, TE Nick Vannett; 20, CB Jeremy Lane; 19, DT Jordan Hill; 18, RB Alex Collins; 17, S Tyvis Powell; 16, G Germain Ifedi; 15, QB Russell Wilson; 14, FS Earl Thomas; 13, CB Tharold Simon; 12, WR Doug Baldwin; 11, WR Tyler Lockett; 10, LT Garry Gilliam; 9, DL Michael Bennett; 8, DB Brandon Browner; 7, OL Justin Britt; 6, RB C.J. Prosise.
