Matthew Berry sees PPR appeal for Jayden Reed
Matthew Berry, Jay Croucher and Connor Rogers analyze the Green Bay Packers' selection of WR Jayden Reed in the NFL Draft's second round and highlight why he's a strong addition for QB Jordan Love.
Video Transcript
JAY CROUCHER: All right, the Packers add another pass catching weapon at 50. They take Jayden Reed. Connor, what do you think of this pick?
CONNOR ROGERS: I think it gives them a defined slot receiver. Obviously, a smaller guy, he's also brought back three punts to the house during his college career. So a great return man, a good short area separator, somebody that had his most productive season actually in 2021, where he went over 1,000 yards as well. And from 2020 to 2021, he caught 13 touchdowns.
So, Reed is a guy that's kind of been slept on in this draft, because his final year wasn't as good as his previous years. But his ability as a returner, and a separator, as a slot target will really help Jordan Love.
[LAUGHTER]
MATTHEW BERRY: (SOUTHERN ACCENT) I love the pick! Hey Aaron Rodgers, we know you're gone. But you know what? Now that you're gone, now we'll draft Luke Musgrave. Now we'll take Jayden Reed. That's right, all the receivers now that Aaron Rodgers is gone. Packers. Packers going to pack. What are you going to do? Packers going to pack.
As for Jayden Reed, I think this is really interesting. Look, I don't want to get too excited. Because remember, the Packers were 18th in pass attempts. They were bottom half of the NFL in pass attempts last year with Aaron Rodgers. And now, we've got Jordan Love. And we just don't know what Jordan Love is going to look like over the course of the season. I think it's still going to be conservative offense.
Having said that, look, yes we saw flashes from Christian Watson down the stretch. And there were moments with Romeo Doubs. But there's not like a Davante Adams there, where you're like, that guy has to command a ton of targets. And you think about an inexperienced quarterback in Jordan Love, the slot guy is often his best friend. We've seen a lot of slot guys have production, recently Cooper Kupp, Amon-Ra St. Brown.
And so when you talk about his separation, Connor, his ability to catch the ball, his short yardage game, especially with Jordan Love, again, an inexperienced quarterback, there could be some PPR value here for Jayden Reed. Again, I don't really think there's a massive mountain to climb for him to get a decent target share in this offense.
JAY CROUCHER: Yeah. Firstly, I'm not sure why your Green Bay Packers impression has a Southern accent. But bypassing that, I think Jordan Love is maybe the highest variance player in the league this coming season. I just don't know what he is. Packers are favorites to finish last in the NFC North with Jordan Love. But now that he's got some weapons, it's going to be an interesting season for Love and the Packers.