Reynolds brings basketball skills to the football field

There's been a tendency to compare Texas A&M' newest commit, Tyler Junior College receiver Joshua Reynolds, to senior receiver Derel Walker who also came to the Aggies via the junior college route. However, there's far more differences than similarities between the two and the comparison is unfair in a sense to Walker.

For one thing, Walker was a walk on at Trinity Valley Junior College. He had no offers coming out of high school whatsoever and needed a year in the junior college ranks before emerging as a Division I prospect. Even then, it took him another year at A&M before he was a contributor. In contrast, Reynolds played in a running offense in high school which didn't prepare him for college ball but he was such a great athlete that TJC took notice of him. Thus, Reynolds is much further along at this stage of his career.

In fact, another way to look at Reynolds is via current A&M star Mike Evans and he's probably a better comparison to Evans in terms of his skill set than Frank Iheanacho, the Houston Westside receiver. Like Iheanacho, Reynolds is a basketball player, but he's more fluid than the four star product. With his vertical jump and long arms he's able to extend his hands much higher than those of the defender. In addition, because he's used to going up for rebounds, he looks very natural taking down passes at the top of his leap and adjusting to the ball while it's in the air.

Reynolds's highlights are mostly downfield routes such as go routes and post routes. He plays the X and the Z outside receiver positions (mostly the X). He's quicker than what you assume he would be because of his length. However, it appears that due to his size and long arms, even corners that pressed him in coverage weren't inclined to be physical with him and often allowed him a free release when he shouldn't have earned one. You don't see him having to fight through it at all very often. The one play that he does he's quite successful at it because he just jams the corner right back and pushes him away.

Reynolds is something of a long strider. He's a guy that you want to be careful about letting him get behind you because it doesn't look he's moving that fast but then he'll just eat up yards once he gets going. On a lot of his deeper receptions, the defensive back starts out a yard behind him and just loses ground even though Reynolds should be slowing up a little since he's carrying a football with him.

The thing that is really hard to read about him is his ability to get separation. He's not someone who's seems to have had a lot of work at planting his feet, making a cut, and getting separation from defenders, probably because he doesn't run a lot of shorter routes playing outside. On most of his routes, he's running at defenders and then running past them without making much of a move. There is an out route where he's working against a safety as the corner to his side blitzed. He slows down too much when making his cut and instead of sticking the route and cutting sharply to the sideline, he shuffles both feet.

Even so, there's many times where he's running at someone and can change direction without losing speed which enables him to break open down the field. In addition, is ability to make those kinds of cuts without losing speed serves him well in his ability to make yards after the catch. He can avoid defenders almost like a smaller player and even can spin one way to get the ball and complete the spin and make the defender miss. Reynolds also has an underrated burst coming off of the line because you don't expect that from a guy with his height.

In terms of being physical, he reminds you of Evans in that he doesn't mind contact at all. He'll block on bubble screens and either lay people out or drive them down the field with his long arms.

In the Air Raid offense, it's important that receivers learn to run precise routes, plant, and separate from defenders. Like Walker, Reynolds will have an adjustment to make in that regard. However, he'll be available for spring practice and so get an early start on learning how to do this. He'll have to make an adjustment to the level of competition as well. Nonetheless, he certainly has most of the physical tools that a guy who's played a lot of basketball can bring to the football field and since he has four years to play three seasons he'll get an additional season to develop beyond what most junior college transfers offer when they arrive on campus.