Virginia’s Reed banking on versatility landing him a spot in the NFL Draft

By Jerry Ratcliffe

When NFL scouts came to see Joe Reed play at Virginia this past fall, many of them commented to Cavalier coach Bronco Mendenhall that “this guy is a running back.”

Reed had been a running back in high school back at Charlotte Court House, but when he arrived in Charlottesville, UVA was short on receivers, so that’s where he wound up.

When the NFL Draft does its thing this weekend, Reed’s name will be called. He could be selected as a receiver or a running back. What will likely get him drafted though is his ability as a kick returner.

During his career as a Cavalier, Reed became the only player in the FBS to post more than 3,000 yards in kick returns with a career average of more than 28 yards per return. Wherever he goes, whatever position he’s drafted to play, rest assured that Reed will make an immediate impact as a kick returner where he had five returns for touchdowns at Virginia.

“I’m kind of in a weird position,” Reed said. “It really depends on what a team sees me as. I know all my FaceTime interviews (with NFL scouts, coaches and GMs) have been different. Some of them were with running back coaches, some with receiver coaches, some with special teams coaches, so it’s really hard to say right now. It really comes down to what a team wants to take a chance on and the needs of different teams.”

Reed has had well more than a dozen such FaceTime interviews with NFL teams. While he answered most of the questions at the NFL Combine back in February, the teams are circling back.

“Different teams have different ideas on how to use me, so all of my meetings have been about their plans,” Reed said.

Some teams, like the 49ers and Chiefs, don’t mind throwing to their backs. Some teams like breaking a player in on special teams and eventually work them in as a receiver or back just as the New England Patriots did with Julian Edelman.

“A lot of teams love that (his ability to return kicks) because as a rookie, special teams is important and that’s just the way it is,” Reed said. “It’s always great to be on one or two special teams. Sometimes to get your foot in the door you have to play special teams and I’ve been gifted with the ability to return kicks, so that’s definitely something that now I’ll be able to do in the future.”

UVA special teams coach Ricky Brumfield knows just how valuable Reed was to the Cavaliers in terms of a kick returner, and how he would often give the offense better field position with those returns.

“There’s no replacing Joe Reed,” Brumfield said. “Joe Reed is one of a kind and there will probably never be a Joe Reed at UVA again. The only thing we can do is try to get someone or a couple of people to try to replace the numbers that he was able to put up.”

Several clubs talked to Reed about his kick-return ability at the NFL Combine, where he didn’t do field work. He was instead hoping to do all that at UVA’s Pro Day, which was scheduled for April 8, but was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A lot of teams wanted to see what he would run in the 40, but that remains a gray area because of the cancellation. He’s hoping teams will be impressed by video of his senior campaign.

Like all of his former teammates, Reed is trying to stay conditioned as well as he can with free weights, some bands, kettlebells. He works out in a parking garage for about an hour-and-a-half in the mornings, then walks over to Mad Bowl for some speed work.

One thing stands out to scouts though, and that’s when it boiled down to running out patterns, Reed couldn’t be beaten in the college ranks last season. He was rated No. 1 in the nation in running the ‘O route,’ as he called it.

“Oh, man, I just don’t know (why he was so consistently effective on that pass route),” Reed said. “That was one of our money-making routes. Coach [Marques] Hagans taught me how to [run] that route, how to get wide open, and if somebody was coming from behind and trying to tackle me, how to pull away or to break tackles.”

Hagans, UVA’s wide receivers coach, used to play that position and quarterback for the Cavaliers, and had a stint in the NFL. He shares that knowledge with his players, but he goes beyond that as a mentor.

“[Hagans] tells me every day, ‘You don’t just enjoy the process, but also the experience,’” Reed said. “I do whatever I can so I don’t have to look back and have any regrets or wish that I did something differently. Coach Hagans is the perfect person go to to throughout this whole process of playing multiple positions. He knows all the ins and outs of what’s going on, so it’s easy to ask him questions about what’s going on right now.”

Hagans was more than a coach and advisor to Reed and the receiving corps.

“His whole family was like a family to us away from home,” Reed said. “Whether it was football or not, he was always there for us. That was the most important part. He was always easy to talk to, just about life, which also helped with the whole football experience.”