Karene Reid LB Utah | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Karene Reid LB Utah
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| PLAY STYLE: BOX LB | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/10/2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40 time: 4.75 seconds (39%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| PLAY STYLE: BOX LB | |
| Last Updated: 03/10/2025 | |
| Draft Year: 2025 | |
| 40 time: 4.75 seconds (39%*) | |
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |
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SHARE THIS PROFILE:
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| Overall Rating: | 82.3 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
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77% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Tackling: |
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88% |
| Pass Rush: |
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73% |
| Run Defense: |
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81% |
| Coverage: |
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63% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
6th
Overall Rank:
#190
Position rank:
#15
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| College Games: 41 College Snaps: 2065 | ||
247 RATING: 82/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.4 (89%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tommy Eichenberg - Ohio State |
|
89% |
| SirVocea Dennis - Pittsburgh |
|
87% |
| Ventrell Miller - Florida |
|
84% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Karene Reid initially signed with Utah State out of high school. The Timpview High product transferred to Utah and quickly established himself as a force in the middle of the defense, starting 39 of his 43 career games. Reid's journey from local standout to two-time All-Pac-12 selection showcases his development and consistent improvement. His senior campaign was interrupted by a four-game injury absence, but he still managed to rack up 54 tackles, 6.0 TFL, and 3.0 sacks in just eight starts, proving his impact when healthy.Reid's bloodlines hint at his football pedigree, combining with his natural instincts to overcome physical limitations. The linebacker room leader saved some of his best performances for the biggest moments, including a 10-tackle effort against UCF to cap his final season. His junior year saw him earn Second-Team All-Pac-12 honors after recording 67 tackles and five passes defended, including a momentum-shifting pick-six against UCLA that earned him conference Defensive Player of the Week recognition. That performance followed a sophomore campaign where he posted career-highs across the board with 72 tackles, 9.5 TFL, and 5.0 sacks, garnering First-Team All-Pac-12 recognition from the AP.
The academic standout (Academic All-Big 12 Team) showed consistency throughout his career, delivering three games with double-digit tackles and making critical third-down stops a specialty. Despite missing time as a senior, Reid recorded at least 0.5 TFL in six straight games to close out his collegiate tenure, demonstrating his ability to consistently make plays behind the line of scrimmage.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Plays with a revved-up motor that runs hot regardless of game situation or field position, showing relentless pursuit through the whistle.
- Diagnoses plays with exceptional quickness, triggering downhill faster than most linebackers and beating blockers to the spot.
- Shows surprising block-slipping ability for his size, using leverage and body control to navigate through traffic in congested areas.
- Two-time captain who sets the defensive tone with communication skills and pre-snap adjustments that put teammates in position.
- Reliable tackler who breaks down in space and wraps with consistent technique, rarely allowing additional yardage after contact.
- Displays impressive blitzing instincts when sent on pressure packages, timing his approach and finding creative paths to the quarterback.
- Makes third-down stops a specialty, leading linebacker room with seven such stops despite missing four games due to injury.
- Plays with exceptional awareness against screens and misdirection, rarely biting on eye candy or getting manipulated by QB movement.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Built more like an oversized safety than traditional linebacker, with concerning size limitations that show up when taking on climb blocks.
- Lacks ideal length and wingspan to maintain separation from blockers, getting swallowed up when offensive linemen square him up.
- Average straight-line speed and burst limit his sideline-to-sideline range and ability to recover when initially out of position.
- Coverage skills remain underdeveloped, particularly in man assignments where his hip fluidity doesn't match his quick mental processing.
- Struggles to stack and shed against larger blockers, getting driven out of his gap when he can't slip the initial engagement point.
Scouting Report: Summary
What jumps out immediately is his comfort working in the intermediate areas of the field, where his instincts and quick processing allow him to make plays despite lacking elite athleticism. The film shows a defender who diagnoses information quickly and attacks with conviction, particularly when working downhill against the run and on blitz packages.His struggles when taking on larger opponents at the point of attack suggest a role that minimizes these confrontations would maximize his effectiveness. The combination of instincts and aggression makes him an ideal candidate for nickel packages where his quick trigger and diagnostic ability can shine without requiring him to consistently stack and shed against offensive linemen. When watching his game tape against high-level competition, you see a player whose impact exceeds what the measurables might suggest.
The immediate path to playing time comes through special teams where his tackling reliability and motor translate seamlessly. Looking beyond, Reid could carve out a defensive role in sub-packages or potentially transition to a box safety position where his instinctive play and downhill aggression would be assets. What stands out most when studying Reid is how consistently he maximizes his tools - a trait that often separates those who stick on NFL rosters from those who wash out regardless of athletic gifts.
Karene Reid percentiles vs other Linebackers (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Karene Reid (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
254.6
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
28.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.