# D. J. Reed

Dennis Duane "D. J." Reed Jr. (born November 11, 1996) is an American professional football cornerback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Kansas State and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft.

## Early life

Reed attended Independence High School in Bakersfield, California. In his high school football career, he totaled six interceptions and five forced fumbles along with 1,150 total yards of offense with 13 touchdowns. Along with football, he also played basketball and was the first person in school history to be named MVP in both sports. Deciding to pursue football full-time as a senior in high school but receiving no scholarship offers, Reed earned a spot as a walk-on at Fresno State after a successful tryout for their football team.

## College career

Reed redshirted as a true freshman at Fresno State in 2014. After Fresno State's coaching staff declined to offer Reed a scholarship in the spring of 2015, Reed chose to transfer from Fresno State to Cerritos College, a community college in Norwalk, California. In his lone year at Cerritos, Reed played in 11 games, tallying 42 tackles three pass breakups, and two interceptions. After one year at Cerritos, Reed once again transferred, this time to Kansas State. As a redshirt sophomore in 2016, Reed played in all 13 games as a cornerback and a return specialist, starting 12 games at cornerback. Reed totaled 75 tackles, 19 pass breakups, three interceptions, and two forced fumbles, and returned nine kickoffs for 255 yards. After the season, he was named first-team All-Big 12 at cornerback.
Prior to the 2017 season, Reed was named to the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list, the Jim Thorpe Award watch list and the Bronko Nagurski Award watch list. A team captain, Reed started 11 games at cornerback in 2017; he missed the last two regular season games due to injury, but played in the Cactus Bowl). He recorded 47 tackles, four interceptions, nine pass breakups, and one forced fumble on defense. He also excelled as a return specialist, returning 17 punts for 253 yards and one touchdowns, and returned 17 kicks for 582 yards and one touchdown. After the conclusion of the season, he was named first-team All-Big 12 at cornerback and second-team All-Big 12 as a return specialist, while also achieving second-team All-American honors. Reed declared for the 2018 NFL draft on December 31, 2017.

## Professional career

Pre-draft measurables :
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
| 5 ft 9+1⁄8 in (1.76 m) | 188 lb (85 kg) | 31+5⁄8 in (0.80 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 4.51 s | 1.58 s | 2.62 s | 4.06 s | 6.82 s | 36.5 in (0.93 m) | 10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) | 11 reps |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day ||||||||||||

### San Francisco 49ers

Reed was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round (142nd overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. In his second season, Reed reached Super Bowl LIV, but the 49ers lost 31–20 to the Kansas City Chiefs. He was placed on the active/non-football injury list at the start of training camp on July 28, 2020, and waived from the list with a non-football injury designation on August 4, 2020.

### Seattle Seahawks

On August 5, 2020, Reed was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Seahawks. He was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list at the start of the regular season on September 5, 2020, before being activated on October 31, 2020. He stepped in at the right cornerback position following an injury to Quinton Dunbar. Reed recorded his first career interception during a 37–27 Week 8 win against the 49ers. He recorded a second interception in a 20–15 Week 15 victory against the Washington Football Team. Due to his strong play, Reed retained his starting position for the rest of the season, even when Dunbar was healthy.

### New York Jets

On March 17, 2022, Reed signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the New York Jets. On September 12, Reed intercepted a pass during a 24–9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

### Detroit Lions

On March 10, 2025, Reed signed a three-year, $48 million deal with the Detroit Lions.