Jaylen Reed
American football player (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jaylen MarQuiese Reed (born January 29, 2003)[1] is an American professional football safety for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the Texans in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft.
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
| No. 23 – Houston Texans | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Safety | ||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | January 29, 2003 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||
| Listed weight | 211 lb (96 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | Martin Luther King Jr (Detroit) | ||||||
| College | Penn State (2021–2024) | ||||||
| NFL draft | 2025: 6th round, 187th overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||
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Early life
Reed attended Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Detroit, Michigan. He committed to Penn State University to play college football.[2][3]
College career
As a true freshman at Penn State in 2021, Reed played in eight games and had six tackles. As a sophomore in 2022, he played in all 13 games and had 31 tackles.[4] Reed started all 13 games as a junior in 2023 and finished with 46 tackles, two interceptions and one sack.[5] He returned as a starter his senior year in 2024.[6][7][8]
On January 13, 2025, Reed declared for the 2025 NFL draft.[9]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Bench press | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+5⁄8 in (1.82 m) | 211 lb (96 kg) | 30+3⁄8 in (0.77 m) | 9 in (0.23 m) | 4.49 s | 1.51 s | 2.59 s | 33.5 in (0.85 m) | 19 reps | ||||
| All values from NFL Combine[10][11] | ||||||||||||
Reed was selected by the Houston Texans in the sixth round (187th overall) in the 2025 NFL draft.[12] He began the regular season on the PUP list due to a knee injury. Reed was activated for his NFL debut on October 20, 2025.[13] He made seven appearances (one start) for Houston, recording one fumble recovery and 14 combined tackles. On December 6, Reed was placed on season-ending injured reserve due to a forearm injury suffered in Week 13 against the Indianapolis Colts.[14]
On January 8, 2026, after the Texans clinched the No. 5 seed in the AFC, Reed returned to practice for his team's matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round. Four days later, Reed was activated by the Texans.[15][16]