If I had told you before the season that a Green Bay Packers wide receiver would get to week 10 tied for second in the NFL with seven catches of 30+ yards, only behind Tyreek Hill, who do you think it would be? The most common guess would certainly be Christian Watson, the most explosive and efficient Packers receiver last year.

The stat is real, but the correct answer is second-round rookie Jayden Reed.

Drafted to be a complementary, slot-only wide receiver, Reed has already been much more than that. He's been, through nine games, the best receiving option on the Packers young roster.

And it hasn't come from nowhere. Over his last two seasons at Michigan State, Reed had 46 explosive plays (20+ yards).

Right before the draft, Jayden Reed was an intriguing prospect, but he doesn't have the exact profile general manager Brian Gutekunst tends to like. Reed is 5'11, 187 lbs. But none of that mattered, and after two trade downs, the Packers got him with the 50th overall pick — a pick that could've been traded away if the Pittsburgh Steelers had accepted the Packers offer for Chase Claypool in the previous year.

Rising star

Now, Reed leads the team in yards, big-play receptions, and yards per game, while second in receptions, average of yards per reception, touchdowns, and receiving first downs. When Jordan Love targets Jayden Reed, his passer rating is 118.1, the best among Packers players.

That's why Reed and fellow rookie receiver Dontayvion Wicks were praised by head coach Matt LaFleur.

"They've shown a lot of progress in terms of timing and spacing and how a different coverage or different coverage conteur can dictate your route," LaFleur said. "That's part of the growth process. Those guys have done a nice job."

Jayden Reed has played 80% of his snaps in the slot and 20% as a boundary receiver, but that doesn't mean he can't be explosive. He has 12.7 yards in average depth of target. With 28 receptions and 417 yards through nine games, he's on pace to be the most productive rookie wide receiver for the Packers since Sterling Sharpe, in 1988.

Opportunities were always expected to come for the young receivers, but Reed has already surpassed expectations, outplaying second-year players Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.

Leadership role

The Packers have the second youngest core of receiving options, including wide receivers and tight ends, in the last three decades — just behind the 2017 Cleveland Browns. So beyond any playing aspect, someone would have to take command of the room. Reed has done both.

After the loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Reed reportedly led a receivers meeting.

"Talking about the things we did good, talking about the things we can get better at," Reed recounts. "That's just the conversations we have. That's what we've got to do every day, go back to work and be self-critical, watch the film, see what we're good at and keep going on that, see what we can get better at."

The Packers have a long track record of success getting second-round wide receivers: Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams. Maybe Jayden Reed is another one of them, and it would be a really important development for a season in which Green Bay needs to discover new building blocks.

Is Christian Watson a bona fide WR1?

Second-rounder has been a supercharged role player