Penn State safety Jaylen Reed had a pre-draft visit with the New York Jets, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Reed was a two-year starter for the Nittany Lions where he received an All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2023 and was named Second-Team All-Big Ten in 2024. He enters the 2025 draft projected to be drafted late on Day 2 or early on Day 3.
“While [Reed’s] athletic profile remains league standard, he’s a highly intuitive playmaker, physical, and does all of the little things well at the position, which includes getting his hands on the football,” says The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler.
“Reed is a versatile and instinctive safety for the Nittany Lions, showcasing a blend of physicality and burst that makes him a key asset in their secondary. He has snaps accrued at all three levels, with a majority of them coming at free safety.”
As for the Jets, being interested in a safety, especially one with versatility and two years of starting experience, makes a ton of sense. They have no commitments to a starting safety past 2025. Tony Adams has one year remaining on his contract and Andre Cisco signed a one-year, $10 million deal this offseason, coming over from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Head coach Aaron Glenn needs to lay the foundation for his secondary, specifically the safeties, to succeed in the future. And, the future is uncertain with nothing guaranteed contractually beyond 2025.
Taking a swing at safety in one of the middle rounds could be in play for New York. If they want to take a serious look at Reed, he has experience in special teams and could contribute there until he’s ready to earn extended action on defense.
Across 50 career games at Penn State, Reed amassed 181 tackles, 13 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, 5 interceptions, 1 pick-six, 7 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovered.