“Aggressive” and “ready to learn”: S Jaylen Reed amped to be a Texan

Penn State safety Jaylen Reed is thrilled to join the Texans secondary, and moments after Houston chose him in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, he went 1-on-1 with Texans TV’s Drew Dougherty. Reed described the type of safety he is, why he wanted to be a Texan throughout the Draft process and much more.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The newest member of the Houston Texans is safety Jalen
Read from Penn State. Jalen, First things first, congratulations you're
a Houston Texan. What was it like hearing that news.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
I appreciate it, thank you. It was feeling, it was
feeling felt amazing, you know, just a team that I
always wanted to go through since I started the process.
I said something about the team at the combine, you know,
I told the coach when I was at the combine, like,
feel me it'd be a blessing just to had an
opportunity to play for that team, you know. And it
was just a great feeling. You know. I felt like
this draft, it was a little crazy to this draft.

(00:32):
I felt like I was slept on and all I
needed was one opportunity and I feel like the opportunity
came and now I'm gonna do it. I gotta do
with it.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Yeah, And once you get here, what do you think
you can do on the field for the Houston.

Speaker 2 (00:42):
And I feel I can do it everything, you know,
But I just feel like I'm just gonna contribute to
everything that the huge detections provide, you know, if they
need me to do whatever, they gotta do. I'm gonna
do it.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
Safety is the position. So what type of safety are you?

Speaker 2 (00:54):
And I'm versustile safety. I'm an aggressive safety, you know.
And it's a lot of safeties in that room that
I really didn't learn that and learn from. You know,
I'm ready to learn from these safety that's in the
room and all the guys that's there. So I'm ready
this he what was about?

Speaker 1 (01:07):
You're part of one of the better Penn State teams
of all time. They win thirteen games, they go all
the way to the States or excuse me, the National
semifinals and play in sixteen games. That's a lot of
football experience for you. That's got to be a good thing.
As far as what you've seen, what you've been through,
I would imagine, right, yeah, for sure. So what's next
for you today? How do you celebrate?

Speaker 2 (01:28):
I'm about to literally go with my family, you know,
Chill my family and make sure I got good enough
a lot of people around me, and make sure I
have a good talent. And you know, it's been a
long day, long three days, and it's been a long time,
so chill my family, have fun.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
Let's talk a little bit more about Tamiko Ryans in
this defense. What impresses you most about the head coach?

Speaker 2 (01:48):
I just it's not pacifically just a head coaches, specifically
the whole team. You know, the head coaching does a
great job. I feel like they got a young talented
team and that's what they doing a lot of you know,
I feel like they got a lot of young talented
players ready to develop, you know, a lot of them
starting to get paid, you know, And I feel like
that's just a great that's a great view as a
player trying to come into the NFL and see a
young team as a young player, you know it, just

(02:10):
give me, give me hope, the opportunity, you know that
I can blend in well and do whatever I gotta
do for the team.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
So, yeah, you talk about a lot of young talented players,
there's also a lot of young talented rookies whose name
starts with j a Y. You got Jayden Higgins, Jalen Knowle,
Jalen Smith, and now you Jalen Reed. What's going on
with that? What do you think?

Speaker 2 (02:29):
I don't know. Jalens must be the best thing going
right now.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
It's a great name. It's a great name for the Houston,
Texans in twenty twenty five. Well, Jalen, we can't wait
to see you down here in Houston. Go celebrate with
your family, have a great time and best of luck,
but sure appreciate it