49ers’ 2018 ‘Who Is?’ series: Defensive back D.J. Reed
By Peter Panacy
Niner Noise looks at the San Francisco 49ers’ promising fifth-round pickup, defensive back D.J. Reed, in our latest “Who Is?” piece. What should we expect from the rookie in 2018?
San Francisco 49ers rookie defensive back D.J. Reed certainly doesn’t lack confidence.
“My confidence comes from my work ethic,” Reed noted during a team press conference. “I work really hard, so I have the right to be confident. … [I] take pride in being a lockdown corner.”
The Niners sure hope he’s right.
Selected in Round 5 at No. 142 overall, Reed has the chance to be a versatile defensive back for San Francisco’s defense. His size — 5-foot-9 and 188 pounds — certainly works against him. But Reed admitted he has something of a chip on his shoulder from being undersized.
If anything, it required him to work harder than his competition at Kansas State.
Over two seasons there, Reed put up some pretty impressive numbers, registering 125 total tackles, 25 passes broken up and seven interceptions:
| Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | Def | Def | Def | Def | Def | Fumb | Fumb | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | FF |
| *2016 | Kansas State | Big 12 | SO | DB | 12 | 62 | 16 | 78 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 3 | 35 | 11.7 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| *2017 | Kansas State | Big 12 | JR | DB | 11 | 41 | 6 | 47 | 4.5 | 0.0 | 4 | 32 | 8.0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| Career | Kansas State | 103 | 22 | 125 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 7 | 67 | 9.6 | 1 | 25 | 2 | 3 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 6/25/2018.
So while Reed’s body might not indicate a major presence on the field, the numbers don’t lie. And with San Francisco lacking a true ballhawk defensive back for some years now, Reed’s aggression could easily come into play.
He won’t be handed a roster spot, though. The secondary is pretty crowded heading into training camp, meaning Reed will have more than a few players he’ll have to beat out.
What will it take for that to happen in 2018?
Why D.J. Reed Improves in 2018
Reed ran a 4.51 40-yard time at the NFL Scouting Combine, which is just about on the fringe for most defensive backs vying for top consideration.
While he doesn’t possess elite-level speed, Reed’s movement and recovery skills are solid enough to keep up with NFL-caliber receivers.
You can get the idea of this, along with his ballhawking skills, on the first play from this game tape:
On top of that, Reed certainly doesn’t shy away from contact against the pass or the run. The sheer number of tackles he put up in college is a testament to his physical abilities. Simply put, being on the shorter side doesn’t phase him.
If anything, it appears to be a motivating factor.
Reed likely projects as an NFL-level nickel cornerback. Nickel backs tend to cover more of the complex routes at the pro level, as there’s nearly the entirety of the field to work with. If Reed can master this early, it will serve him plenty of good.
Why He Regresses
While Reed isn’t handicapped by his size, it still could wind up being a major problem facing bigger, faster pro receivers.
Not all NFL offenses line up short wideouts out of the slot. Case in point, the Arizona Cardinals love to feature veteran receiver Larry Fitzgerald (6-foot-3, 218 pounds) out of the slot. That would be a mismatch regardless of Reed’s skill set.
Featured matchups against bigger receiving corps could keep Reed from seeing a lot of snaps. Even when he does see the field, he’ll have to rely more on his strength to jam at the line of scrimmage and bump those wideouts off their routes early.
San Francisco 49ers
And that doesn’t play into Reed’s strengths right now.
Projected Role with the 49ers in 2018
Reed isn’t a surefire bet to make the Niners’ 53-man roster this season, but he has to be considered on the stronger side of the bubble.
San Francisco already has a serviceable slot corner in place, K’Waun Williams, who has an almost identical stature at 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds. Williams is Reed’s primary competition, although it will be a tough one to win outright. After all, Williams signed a three-year extension late last season.
This, combined with Williams’ experience, likely means he starts in 2018. But the good news for Reed is the fact he doubled as an effective return man in college. It wouldn’t be a shock to see him utilized in such a role his rookie season, eventually working his way to the defensive side of the ball.
Another thing boding well for Reed’s chances is the fact the 49ers are working with him not just at nickel, but also at free safety. Depth players need to have versatility, and Reed is showcasing this already.
Next: 49ers 2018 offseason positional preview: Cornerback
Because of this, Reed likely winds up on the regular-season roster as the team’s No. 5 or 6 cornerback and an enticing special teams contributor.