Packers draft receiver Jayden Reed with pick no. 50 of 2023 NFL Draft

Green Bay Packers fans who were unhappy that the team didn’t select an offensive weapon for quarterback Jordan Love on Day 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft just exhaled a sigh of relief on Friday. After nabbing Oregon State tight end Luke Musgrave with the 42nd overall pick, the Packers proceeded to trade down from the 45th overall selection twice to select Michigan State wide receiver Jayden Reed at the 50th pick in the draft.

While the selections of Lukas Van Ness and Musgrave were right around where the media had projected those players to be drafted, Reed went off the board a little earlier than expected. According to the consensus draft board, Reed was seen as the 89th overall prospect in this draft.

Reed, a favorite of Acme Packing Company’s Tyler Brooke, originally enrolled at Western Michigan out of high school — where he was named a Freshman All-American as a true freshman. After that season, he transferred up to the Big Ten level at Michigan State, where he would go on to start 31 games with the Spartans. He recorded over 200 receptions, nearly 3,000 yards and 26 receiving touchdowns in his college career to go along with All-Conference honors as a punt returner — a role that the now gone Randall Cobb and Amari Rodgers split in the 2022 season for Green Bay.

Reed was a significant riser during the all-star game circuit, where he was able to perform well in one-on-one drills. It’s notable that Reed is just under 5’11” and 187 pounds, as the Packers have leaned hard into 200-plus-pound receivers under head coach Matt LaFleur. Reed, who runs a 4.45-second 40-yard dash, is something of a tendency breaker for the team and should pair well with Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, who are expected to share the three-man rotation with Reed at the position in 2023.

If you’re looking for a narrative for the Packers’ 2023 class so far, it’s speed. On a scale of 0 to 10, accounting for the historical averages at specific positions. Van Ness is a 9.76 (per Relative Athletic Score), Musgrave is a 9.33 and Reed is an 8.64. Green Bay is much faster than they entered the weekend.