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Antwuan Reed is one of those under the radar players when it comes to potential NFL Draft pick. ESPN's Todd McShay thinks Reed has a shot at being selected and pegs him as a seventh round pick. The Sports Xchange ranks him 46th among cornerbacks and says he really helped himself with a great Pro Day. The site goes on to mention he's been compared to former Pitt player, Aaron Berry (who, apparently needs to work on his people skills a bit).
Local scout Joe Butler says there's a chance for Reed to catch on somewhere, largely because of the volume of corners taken:
"If you look at corners, there have been 30 or more drafted in each of the last four drafts," Butler said. "So a guy like Reed, who has started for two years and who has been productive, will have a chance.
Here's what others are saying about him.
The NFL's site says he's a solid prospect but has plenty of room for improvement:
Reed is a tough cornerback out of Pitt who started for two years. He usually plays the field and is a decent cover man who still needs to develop his ball skills if he is going to be effecting at the next level. He is good to read a man's hips and not get beat deep, but he employs a bail technique on nearly every play to be able to stay with receivers. The fact that he turns his hips and runs immediately off the snap, even in press, shows that he doesn't quite trust his speed. He is an all-around player who is reliable to make a tackle but won't make many special plays.
Pro Football Weekly's summary is even more 'meh':
Undersized, quick, aggressive, short-area corner who supports the run, but limited ball skills and awareness limit his ceiling.
SI says he could play in dime packages and projects he'll play some on special teams.
I saw a report somewhere this season that said he needed to work on his ball skills. I didn't watch Reed every play over his career, but as a cornerback who started two seasons, his two career interceptions probably indicate that's correct. Still, if Aaron Berry can make it into an NFL secondary with the Lions, then I have a hard time believing Reed can't.
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