STRENGTHS
Grant is the “Rudy” of this draft. He will be your special teams captain for your very successful special teams. He shows a quick burst to the ball and is around just about every play because of his instincts. He shows leadership skills because of his pure effort on every play. His ability to affect an opponent’s play, in the red zone, is unique because of his quickness and instincts. He recognizes and reacts to plays quickly and this gives him an edge that his athletic talent does not give him. Grant plays like an FIM-92 Stinger Missile on the field. He fires off in one direction, he gets to his target very fast, and then he explodes into his opponent demoralizing them and leaving them wondering what the hell just hit them.
CONCERNS
Truthfully, Grant does not have the overall athletic talent to be on an NFL field. He takes 45 steps to go 20 yards. His hips are so tight he can’t change direction quickly enough to get out of the way of a sloth. He is too small to play linebacker and not athletic enough to be a safety. He is limited in coverage skills because he has no lateral agility. Nevertheless, as a GM or Head Coach…I want this guy on my team because you can’t teach or coach effort, and Grant has an abundance of that skill, the one that will allow him, to be on an NFL field.
BOTTOM LINE 4.11
There should not be a special team coach, in the NFL, that is not standing on top of his stadium, demanding his GM and Head Coach to select Grant in this draft at some point and not leave it to the chance of trying to get him, in the Rookie Free agency pool. The truth is, it will be more cost-effective to draft him than to compete for him after the draft is over. The nuisances of how Grant is able to affect his team’s play on the field for his college team is hard to describe unless you look at film. Grant’s ability as a linebacker to force a QB off their first read on inside routes, on passing plays, is interesting to watch. His ability to put his hand down on the goal line and burst off the line, at his size, and make a tackle is interesting. His ability to run as fast as he can go, sideline to sideline and turn a player back in, or make a player hold up for others to make the tackle, happens only because of his pure effort. As I stated before, Grant does not belong on an NFL field because he just is not athletic enough and still, I want him on my team because you can’t teach or coach, the one skill he has in abundance…effort. Grant will be your captain on special teams and make your special teams…special…trust me, I know everything there is to know about…effort.
