The Baltimore Ravens had one of the best safety tandems in the league down the second-half stretch last season after transitioning two-time Pro Bowler Kyle Hamilton into a more traditional role and inserting former undrafted gem, Ar’Darius Washington, into the starting lineup.
Adding another versatile playmaker at the position is one of the Ravens’ top priorities this offseason because doing so would provide them with greater schematic flexibility. Since they have yet to address it in free agency due to a lack of cap space, their best bet is targeting one early in the 2025 NFL Draft.
While they’ve been linked to some top safety prospects in first-round mock draft projections, there is a chance they could still land a prospect who fits their needs after the first night of the draft. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, they are slated to host former Penn State standout safety and expected Day 2 pick, Jaylen Reed, for a pre-draft visit.
Reed is a physical presence who, like Hamilton, is the most disruptive playing in the box near the line of scrimmage where he can be deployed in a multitude of ways including in the slot as a hybrid nickel. He possesses impressive instincts when it comes to play recognition, a quick trigger to click and close on a ball carrier or pass catcher before they can build up momentum and good ball skills.
Over his last two seasons playing a prominent role in the Nittany Lions defense, Reed started all 39 games, earning All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition in 2023 and Second Team honors last season. In 2024, he led the team with a career-high 98 total tackles and set personal bests across the board with 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three interceptions and three pass breakups.
At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, he tied for the seventh-fastest mark in the 40-yard dash among safeties with a 4.49, tied for the third-fastest 10-yard split with a 1.51, posted a top-10 mark in the vertical jump with 33.5 and put up the second-most reps of 225 on the bench press with 19.
In addition to being a core special teams contributor, the ideal role for Reed at the next level would involve him primarily playing downhill where he can snuff out screens, support in the run game and wreak havoc as a blitzer while he continues to develop his skills in coverage. While taking him at No. 59 overall in the second round would be considered a reach, landing him at No. 91 overall in the third would be just right.
