2 Stanford players drafted in 3rd round
Unlike his brother Eric, Justin Reid has an NFL team.
The Stanford safety was drafted by the Texans in the third round of the draft Friday, the 68th overall selection and the first pick for Houston, which didn’t have a selection in either of the first two rounds.
Cardinal defensive tackle Harrison Phillips also went in the third round. The Buffalo Bills took him with the 96th pick.
Another draft pick with Bay Area ties is Dublin native Alex Cappa, a guard from Division II Humboldt State who was picked by Tampa Bay in the third round. The 6-7 305pounder was the first player drafted from the school since 1991.
Eric Reid, a first-round pick by the 49ers in 2013, made the Pro Bowl in 2014. But he remains unsigned, which many observers say can be linked to his Colin Kaepernick-inspired kneeling protests during the national anthem, the goal of which was to call attention to racial inequality in the country.
A semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award (given to the best defensive back in college football), Justin Reid made 99 tackles and led the Pac-12 with five interceptions. The junior was an All-Pac-12 first-team selection and made the second team on the Football Writers Association of America and Associated Press teams.
“This is what I love about him: He’s smart and he’s instinctive,” said Chris Rose of the NFL Network. “He diagnoses very well, which puts him near the football all the time. Justin Reid is a guy who, I think, can make your defense better on Day 1.”
“He’ll cover, he’ll lock down,” ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. said. “Overall, he’s a really good football player.”
Although listed as a safety, he spent a little more than half his snaps last season covering slot receivers as the nickel back. He is expected to be a safety in the pros.
Reid was impressive at the NFL combine, where he clocked the second-fastest 40-yard time among safeties at 4.40 seconds.
“The more you watch Justin Reid,” Stanford head coach David Shaw said, “you put him in the category with the top guys in this draft at his position. You see speed, you see athleticism, you see versatility, you see tackling in space, you see good coverage.
“What’s so good is this guy is a tireless worker. He loves the game of football. This guy’s going to wear out the (defensive backs) coach because he’s going to watch film on his own.”
The native of Prairieville, La., was the ninth Pac-12 player chosen. He’ll join another Stanford alum, lineman Brennan Scarlett, in the Houston defense.
Phillips led Stanford with 103 tackles, the most of any defensive lineman in the nation. He also led the team with 17 tackles for loss and 7½ sacks. He was the fifth Stanford defensive lineman to be drafted in the past five years.
Given the nickname “Horrible Harry” at an early age from a children’s book of that name that his mother read to him, Phillips graduated two quarters early with a double major in sociology and in science, technology and society. He even added a minor in education.
“Boy, does he fit the Buffalo Bills,” NFL Network analyst Mike Mayotte said. Alluding to Buffalo’s five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle, he called Phillips “Kyle Williams Jr.”
His selection by the Bills was read by a superfan nicknamed Pancho Billa, who is battling cancer. The masked man wearing the Bills’ colors and a blue sombrero was called up on stage to announce the choice.
Another former Cardinal, defensive end Trent Murphy, signed a three-year contract with the Bills last month after playing his first four years with Washington.