Richie Grant 2021 NFL Draft Profile

The 2021 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. Here is the Richie Grant 2021 NFL Draft Profile.

Richie Grant Background

Position: Safety

Size: 6-foot, 197 pounds

Class: Redshirt Senior

2020 stats: 72 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 3 interceptions, 5 passes defended, 2 fumbles recovered, 2 force fumbled

Grant is one of the older players in the draft, but has molded himself into a solid draft prospect. After five years in college he is off to the NFL level.

In high school, Grant ran track and played football, but wasn’t the greatest recruit, which made him sign on with UCF. He redshirted his first season on campus. As a redshirt freshman, Grant received playing time, registering 32 tackles and one pass defended. He became a starter as a sophomore, tallying 108 tackles, six interceptions and three passes defended. The Knights went undefeated during the regular season that year, but lost to LSU in the Fiesta Bowl. He was back for his junior season with 78 total tackles, one interceptions and eight passes defended. Behind Grant’s play, UCF won 10 games including the Gasparilla Bowl. In 2020, Grant logged 72 total tackles, three interceptions and five passes defended. The Knights won six games, but lost the Boca Raton Bowl to end the season.

After five years in the collegiate game, Grant is ready for the NFL. He is currently projected to be a second to third round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Strengths

Grant has good ball skills that were on display throughout his four years of playing at UCF. He tracks the ball well in the air and attacks the catch point at the right time. Once he gets to the catch point, he is not only capable of swatting it down, but also has nice hands and can intercept the pass. With the ball in his hands, he is a threat to take it back to the house, as he did in his junior season.

His versatility will really help a team too. He can play deep zones or underneath zones if asked and does well. Grant uses his eyes well and breaks on the ball once the quarterback throws it in his area. To go along with his good zone coverage, Grants has proved to be solid in man to man coverage as well. He can even guard tight ends in one on one matchups.

He has solid awareness that he is able to display a lot when he is playing in a deep zone. As mentioned, he reads the quarterback’s eyes well and keeps a good read on the entire field. He knows how defenses will attack him and uses his vision well. His awareness also spills over into the running game, where he can diagnose where a play is going well.

Weaknesses

Grant is just an average athlete for a safety at the NFL level. Speedier receivers can get the better of him in coverage and his range is aided by his awareness. He has tighter hips and doesn’t change direction well. His athleticism will be put to the test if he is ever put on an island in the NFL.

There were some mental lapses in Grant’s tape. A lot of times there would be blown coverages in the secondary, specifically when he was asked to do something other than play a deep zone. He shows good awareness, but needs to do a better job of knowing his assignment when not playing deep.

His age may also hold him back. Playing four years and spending five years in college gave him a lot of experience, but he is older than most other prospects in the draft. If he doesn’t adjust to the pro game quickly, he may be passed over. His special teams experience and expertise will likely give him some more time to figure things out.

Projected Draft Range: Second Round Pick-Third Round Pick

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