Nick Reed: A Eugene (Oregon) Perspective

In the seventh round of last month’s draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected defensive end Nick Reed from Oregon. Reed is an undersized player who plays with passion and loves the game of football. He had a successful collegiate career, and it’ll be interesting to see if he’ll find any success in the NFL.

Dominic Vieira is an editor at AddictedToQuack.com, an Oregon Ducks blog. In addition to applauding the selection of Max Unger, Vieira also had some good things to say about Reed. He included an assortment of YouTube videos to illustrate his points:

"Nick Reed was the leader of an Oregon defensive line that ranked 1st in the Pac-10 in rushing yards allowed. He led the nation in fumble recoveries, 4th in the nation in sacks, and tied for 9th in tackles for loss with 20. All of this at 6-2, 248lbs. He is only the second player in Oregon history to receive All-American honors both on the field and in the classroom. There is one word that describes Nick Reed…passion. You tell him he can’t do something? He comes back and proves you wrong. Too small to play defensive end? Led the Pac-10 in sacks and blew by offensive linemen. Don’t invite him to the combine? Goes off training, comes back looking better than ever. That passion has also meant a lot to Oregon off the field. He was consistent contributer to the O-Heroes program, a student athlete-led, community service organization at the University of Oregon. With all of the passion he showed on the field, he was equally so giving back to the community. He will be missed in the Oregon program. That amount of heart and dedication to one’s craft is not easily matched."

"This shot is from the Holiday Bowl last year against Oklahoma State. He didn’t make the direct tackle, but his speed along the edge allowed him to keep pace and force the play more to the outside where he could assist in a combo tackle. He recognized the play right away, forced the QB to pitch the ball immediately allowing the rest of the defense to catch up."

"Reed beats Zack Jones from Purdue on a cut block during a slant play. Side to side movement is amazing here by Nick. He recognized what the tackle was doing, sidestepped it, then turned on the gas to meet the quarterback head on."

"Up against a great offensive line in USC, Nick blows by the guard to sack his high school buddy Mark Sanchez. Little bit of a horse collar on the play but certainly not intentional."

"This game was at Cal in a torrential downpour, slowing the game way down. Another spin move, a sack on Nate Longshore."