Let’s look back to remember what NFL Draft experts said about Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid.
We’ve all seen the highlight reels, and he’s made a splash in OTAs, but the Kansas City Chiefs’ new safety, Justin Reid, has some big shoes to fill. He was signed to a three-year, $31.5 million dollar deal back in March and was brought aboard as the replacement for Tyrann Mathieu—the second time in his career his been tasked with the responsibility (2018 in Houston).
Reid has proven more than serviceable in his first four years as a professional, hauling in 7 interceptions, defending 23 passes, and recording a pair of sacks as a Houston Texan. Those numbers surely don’t scream “perennial Pro Bowler,” but he has been limited by the players surrounding him over the past couple of years (the Texans are 8-25 since 2020).
As we gear up for training camp, let’s take a look back at what the narrative surrounding Reid was among draft experts back in 2018 when he was selected by Houston with the fourth pick in the third round.
Mel Kiper, of ESPN, had Justin Reid ranked as his fourth-best safety in the 2018 class:
#NFLDraft Mel Kiper Jr. Top 5 Safeties
— Fans of CFB (@FansOfCFB) December 6, 2017
1. Derwin James (FSU)
2. Minkah Fitzpatrick (Alabama)
3. Ronnie Harrison (Alabama)
4. Justin Reid (Stanford)
5. Armani Watts (Texas A&M)
Connor Rogers, the Lead Draft Analyst for Bleacher Report noticed Reid’s talent:
Couple of random late night draft thoughts:
— Connor Rogers (@ConnorJRogers) March 29, 2018
-if he had stayed outta trouble and on the field, Antonio Callaway would’ve been a 1st round WR
-Isaiah Wynn might be OL2 in this class
-I caught up on how good Justin Reid is way too late
Lance Zierlein, of NFL.com, had this to say of Reid:
"“It’s easy to notice Reid on the field before being aware that his brother is former LSU All-American and NFL Pro Bowl safety Eric Reid, as his physical nature and athleticism pop out immediately.“"
At the 2018 NFL Combine, Reid ran the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds, recorded a 36.5” vertical jump, and repped 225 pounds 16 times on the bench press. Sure, those are flashy numbers that really don’t apply directly to football, but they do prove that he has the athletic build and ability to play the position physically—something many Chiefs fans felt was missing from Mathieu’s production last season.
The fact that Pro Bowl-caliber talent runs in the Reid family should offer Chiefs Kingdom plenty of excitement heading into a season where he will have the strongest supporting cast he has in years.