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](http://www.houstontexans.com/draftcentral.html)

Alabama DE/DT Jarran Reed
6-3, 307 lb.
SeniorBio
Played his HS football at Goldsboro (NC) High School Played one year at Hargrave Military Academy and two at East Mississippi Community College Played two years at Alabama

Honors
2nd team All-SEC in 2015
4th on the team with 57 tackles
6x Alabama Defensive Player of the Week in 2015 Honorable mention All-SEC in 2014 In 2014, had most tackles for an Alabama defensive lineman in eight seasons Member of NJCAA national championship team No. 12 JUCO player in the nation in 2014

Combine/Pro Day Measurements
Arms: 33 ⅜"
Hand: 10 ½"
40-yard dash: 5.21
Broad Jump: 8'8"
Vertical Jump: 31"
3-cone: 7.77 secs
Short Shuttle: 4.75 secs

Overall
It's a bit of an understatement to say that Reed took the long way around, if you will. He played linebacker in high school and didn't receive much attention from college programs. He was headed to Fayetteville State...that's Division II football for those that don't know. But, after a strong summer all-star game, he changed course, added some weight and moved on to Hargrave Military College for a year. He didn't quite have the grades to qualify so he transferred to East Mississippi Community College.

During his first year at EMCC, he dominated and the big time schools came calling, he committed to North Carolina, then flipped to Ole Miss, then to Florida. But, he didn't have the grades to leave after a year, so he dominated again and this time he locked in on Alabama. But, before he played a game for the Tide, he got in trouble off the field. He might have raised the ire of Nick Saban without question, but spent the next two years regaining the head coach's trust. He did that at the same time that he became one of the best defensive linemen in this draft.

Back in the spring, a few months after Reed decided to return for his senior season, I wrote this scouting report on him.

"Strong…so, very strong…saw him take an LSU tackle and just plant him in the ground…plays 3-4 DE and think he could play nearly any position on the defensive line…stacks and sheds like a champ…one of the best I've seen do this on a consistent basis…blocking him is like trying to move a tree stump that can run…he was so completely dominant in the LSU game; it single-handedly put him on my draft radar screens…that game was made for him, though…not a tremendous pass rusher…reminds me a ton of former FSU star DT Eddie Goldman (2nd rounder in 2015)…going to be a name people hear a lot of heading into next year's draft if he stays healthy in 2015."

Not much changed in 2015 other than improving on his skills for another year in the SEC. Alabama had such immense depth on its defensive line, so Reed didn't play every down, but no one did on that Alabama front. How good was Reed against the run? Consider the following game yardage totals against Alabama in 2015.

Wisconsin - 40 yards rushing
Arkansas - 44 yards rushing
LSU - 54 yards rushing
Mississippi State - 89 yards rushing
Auburn - 91 yards rushing
Florida - 15 yards rushing
Michigan State - 29 yards rushing

Reed isn't single-handedly responsible for those totals, but he was a significant factor in that run defense for the past two seasons.

Quote
"He had to go the way he's gone to make him the type of person he is now. Sometimes when things are given to you, you don't appreciate them quite as much. The fact he's had to work for everything he has done to get to where he's at, he's appreciated that road he's had to travel." - Anjanette Reed, mother of Jarran (hat tip to al.com)

What to like
--Strong hands and the understanding of how to use them --Violent shed when one-on-one with an offensive lineman --Effective two gap player with his strength at the point of attack --Quicker than his size or position indicates --Stays active rushing the passer --Lined up at fullback in short yardage situations --Stays on his feet, so difficult to get at his legs --Can play up and down the line of scrimmage in odd or even fronts

What needs some work
--Often came out of the game on third down --Not accomplished pass rusher, not much in pass rush move repertoire --Will not be a fit against faster paced, wide open offenses --Can get lazy with his hands at times, allows blocker to stay engaged --Didn't produce a ton of negative yardage plays - TFL or sacks (4.5 TFL/1 sack)

Projection
I've often said that there are three types of players that get elevated at draft time - those that throw it, those that protect the guy throwing it and those that rush the guy throwing it. Reed isn't any of those three, in particular, the guy rushing the quarterback. If there's something that holds Reed back, to a degree, it's his lack of being a true pass rush threat.

Now, after what Reed's been through in his career, I'll never bet against him in the slightest. His ability to stop the run is why he might be of huge value to this team. Stopping the run is something head coach Bill O'Brien preaches every single week and Reed fits that role to a T. Furthermore, with J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus, John Simon and Jadeveon Clowney in tow, it's not as if this team has a dearth of pass rushers for third down situations.

It's been said and repeated often; this is a tremendous draft for defensive linemen and Reed is a major reason why. In my scouting report from last May, I said it was like trying to block a tree stump that can run. He just doesn't get moved off the line of scrimmage and that's still a valuable trait, even if he can't get to the quarterback all that often.