Josh Reynolds, WR: He’s What The Redskins Are Looking For To Help Their Redzone Woes

Josh Reynolds, WR
School: Texas A&M | Conference: SEC
College Experience: Senior | Age: 22
Height / Weight: 6-3 / 194 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 3rd Round
NFL Comparison: Justin Hunter

College Statistics

Player Overview

Josh Reynolds is a tall and lengthy receiver with arguably one of the best catch radii in the entire WR class this year. Reynolds has put together some very impressive production and tape during his time at Texas A&M. He’s come a long way since high school where he weighed just 178 lbs. He was a 3-star recruit out of high school and had offers pulled from him before he started his career in junior college. Reynolds is an excellent athlete for his size and has some sneaky speed as well as smooth acceleration. He can make eye-popping highlight reel-worthy catches with regularity. He uses his size and athleticism to his advantage to create space and is excellent at winning 50/50 balls. It’s no wonder the Redskins have expressed interest in the young WR his tape features multiple impressive touchdowns in the red zone with him running - you guessed it - the fade. While Reynolds is very good at catching those his value isn’t capped there. He can also work underneath and cause damage on slants and quick hitch routes. I’d like him to be a bit more consistent in his main task which is catching the football. He has some ridiculous drops where the ball simply goes through his hands. I’d also like to see him play a bit more physically during his release off the LOS. Regardless because of this size, athleticism, and knack for making the tough catch. Reynolds presents a terrific value in the mid rounds for teams looking for a receiver with speed, size, and the ability to win in the red zone.

Strengths

• Excellent height and athleticism for the position. Has ridiculous length and can reach out and make catches that would elude most receivers. Can outrun corners with long smooth strides that look effortless.
• Excellent in jump ball situations and in contested situations in general. Has the vertical explosion coupled with his length to win most of those matchups.
• Great ability to track the ball in the air and adjust. Has great body control and will come down inbounds on the sideline or in the end zone more times than not. Has strong hands that can make top 10 level catches.
• Tough player that withstood some punishment against SEC competition. Super confident and competitive.
• Can work the middle of the field too as well as underneath routes. Decent blocker.

Weaknesses

• He’s pretty ripped not sure he could put on much more mass. Skinny legs which limit his power, momentum, and ability to power through defenders after the catch.
• Inexplicable drops.
• Needs to play more physically at the LOS. Against talented man corners (like Tre White) his route and momentum can get disrupted.

Let’s see his work:

How He Would Fit On The Redskins

If the Redskins are interested in improving the depth at WR in the mid rounds the first prospect I would keep my eye on is Reynolds. He has already met with the team and would check a few boxes including size, speed, vertical ability, and the ability to finish in the end zone that the team is adding to the position. I don’t see any reason why he couldn't make a strong push for the WR4 spot with his abilities and push down Brian Quick in the pecking order. If that happens receivers Ryan Grant and Maurice Harris are on the bubble. Reynolds can improve his footwork, physicality, and release off the snap and needs to cut out the focus related drops but aside from those key areas, I can’t think of much else to critique. When considering the future, the receiving core could look like a combo of Josh Doctson, Jamison Crowder, and Reynolds in 2018 and beyond. They have the potential to be a very good group and would reflect the commitment by the front office to build out a long-term group at receiver that has a base of homegrown talent.