ESPN: Reid grades out as a plug-and-play starter at free safety. He's a ballhawk with excellent speed and athleticism, who has experience playing safety, nickel and cornerback. While he certainly can handle a versatile role in the NFL, we think he's at his best working as a center fielder in a single-high safety look. Rotoworld: Texans selected Stanford S Justin Reid with the No. 68 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. It's the Texans' first selection of the 2018 draft. Reid (6’1/207) turned pro as a true junior after earning first-team All-Pac 12 and second-team All-American in 2017 with 6.5 tackles for loss and five interceptions. Reid further caught attention with a blistering Combine, running 4.4-flat with an explosive 10-foot-8 broad jump and twitchy 6.65 three-cone time. The brother of ex-49ers SS Eric Reid, Justin has experience covering slot receivers and tight ends, and playing in centerfield and the box. Reid’s versatility, athleticism, and smarts (31 Wonderlic) raise his chances of becoming an instant contributor. CBS Sports: (B) He is a solid playmaking safety who will help a secondary that needs help. He will push for time right away. SI: (B+) Justin Reid | S | STANFORD There were already two quality safeties aboard with Tyrann Mathieu and Andre Hal, but more teams are playing with three safeties these days. Reid’s presence could lend more flexibility for how Mathieu is deployed. And if Mathieu, who signed a one-year deal, is not retained in 2019, the Texans will have an early jump on replenishing this position. Scouting Report: He doesn’t bring the kind of linebacker-like physicality of older brother Eric, but Justin has the athleticism and instincts to be one of the league’s better safeties in coverage. He’s at his best in centerfield, but is also capable of matching up with athletic tight ends and has the strength and physicality to play the run.
Love it! Should be a plug and play starter. Great value that helps ease the burden of not having a first or second round pick. We'd have been happy with him had we used our second round pick (that we traded) on him. Now give me Orlando brown and I don't care who else we get.
Surprised he’s there when we picked. Someone mentioned he happened to be BPA while also being position of need so win-win
Wait, wait, wait. The Texans get a player at a spot BELOW where he was projected to go? What in the wide wide world of sports is going on here?
He can cover slot receivers like a healthy honeybadger. I like it, bill. So many teams that run 20 receiver formations, you can't have enough cornerbacks. Badger, Reid and Hal all can moonlight as cbs. Very versatile DBfield. My favorite pick so far. Romeo's going to have some fun.
https://www.nfl.com/prospects/justin-reid?id=32462018-0002-5601-9880-2ac673bf0eed Draft Projection: Rounds 1-2 Overview Reid is what teams are looking for at the safety position in 2018. He's a plus size/speed prospect who has the athletic ability to help with man coverage and the instincts and ball skills for ball-hawking duties on the back end. Reid can get himself into some trouble when he's overly aggressive, but his positive plays far outweigh the negative. He has the talent to become an early starter and a good one. Reid's instincts and play traits should make him a safe selection with Pro Bowl potential down the road. Strengths Offers excellent versatility Good football intelligence Plays with rapid response to motion and formation shifts Rarely caught out of position Shows ability to excel up top or near the box Able to line up over the top of slots and drag tight ends around the field as well Stays deeper than deepest from single high coverage Works with NFL-caliber recognition to reaction time Has speed and anticipation to range over top and challenge the catch Impressive ball skills Can sink and scoop low throws or elevate and take away the jump ball Physical challenges to the catch point Sprints hard from high to low to handle run support Eludes blockers in space Tough enough for box duties Runs the alley and smothers running backs Reliable wrap and drag tackler Weaknesses Backpedal is rigid and slow to gain ground Will get beat by quicker slot receivers Gets behind in coverage on crossing routes Grabby at the top of the route rather than trusting the technique Willingness to gamble with his eyes can lead to big-play opportunities for offense Play-fakes can bait him early in the play Downhill angles on the throw are a little inconsistent Comes in hot as a tackler Needs to improve ability coming to balance to avoid misses on the next level Sources Tell Us "There aren't too many issues in his game. If he tests well he could sneak into the back half of the first is my guess. He's better in coverage than his brother." -- NFC General Manager
http://www.espn.com/blog/houston-te...ton-texans-2018-draft-analysis-for-every-pick Round 3, No. 68 overall: Justin Reid, S, Stanford My take: This was a good pick for the Texans, who needed to improve the secondary after the unit ranked 24th last season in yards allowed per game. General manager Brian Gaine made it clear Houston felt it did enough in free agency to have the flexibility to draft the best available player instead of picking just for need. If Reid was at the top of the Texans' draft board, they were able to do that while also filling a need. Reid was first-team All-Pac-12 and adds another athletic player to an already-impressive defense. Houston has other needs, namely at left tackle, but the selection of Reid makes sense for a Texans team trying to get back to having a top-rated defense. How he fits: The Texans upgraded their secondary this offseason by adding safety Tyrann Mathieu in free agency and Reid with their first pick. The Texans re-signed free safety Andre Hal last offseason, but Reid should compete with him for a spot right away. Reid is athletic and the Texans will like his size at 6-foot-1 and 207 pounds. Reid started 11 of 14 games last season, with 99 tackles, 6.5 for loss, five interceptions and six pass breakups. Reid saw a lot time on special teams at Stanford and could make an impact there for Houston, too.
