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Scouting The Draft: Ryan Grant, WR, Tulane

We continue to look at some of the best players available for the 2014 NFL draft in relation to the Jets.

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sport

Introduction

Recently I've been focusing a lot of my time on the defensive side of the football. However we all know that we need offensive playmakers if we want to make it to the playoffs. Right now our offence is as close to being anaemic as you can get. Top round talent is needed, but complimentary players are also required. While watching the Superbowl I was looking at guys like Jermaine Kearse (undrafted) and Doug Baldwin (undrafted) as really nice complimentary players. So I decided to run with the Ryan Grant article this week, a guy who will likely find himself being drafted in the 4th or 5th round.

Ryan Grant was another 2 star recruit, which seems to be a feature this week. He wasn't highly recruited but he found his way onto the Tulane side. After being a stand-out in high school, leading the team in several receiving categories, he had to fight his way up the depth chart at Tulane. As a stand alone point, Grant was an honour roll student in high school as well as being a member of the career and community leaders of America. Character is always important in my opinion when looking at any young athlete.

Measurables

Height: 6'0

Weight: 197lbs

Class: Senior

Projected 40: 4.5-4.6

Statistics

Year Receptions Yards Average Long TD's
2013 77 1039 13.5 49 9
2012 76 1149 15.1 68 6
2011 1 27 27.0 27 1
2010 33 515 15.6 73 4
2009 9 39 4.3 11 1

Positives

  • Hands: Really soft reliable hands, sees the ball into his hands before turning upfield. Does well to adjust to balls while they are in the air.
  • Route Running: Has good quickness and burst off the snap. Dangerous on quick slants and crossing patterns. Gains separation with short area quickness.
  • Intelligence: Knows where and when to sit down in coverage. Always manages to find space despite lacking elite speed. Works over the middle well as well as outside.
  • Physical Runner: Once he gets the ball in his hands, he automatically turns it upfield as runs through arm tackles, not afraid to mix it up with bigger players.
Negatives
  • Competition: Any player coming from the Conference USA will have questions raised about his level of competition. He's not facing elite defensive backs week in and week out.
  • Nothing Flashy: You can call Grant Mr Consistency because that's what he is, he won't blow past you with his speed, he won't come down with a ball in triple coverage, but he's reliable.
  • Ball Security: Needs to tuck the ball away more, runs with it very loose and will have it knocked away at the next level, needs to get that strapped to his body when running.
Conclusion

Ryan Grant is a really interesting prospect, he played in a weak conference and didn't put up gaudy numbers. They were very decent numbers, but they weren't stand up and pay attention to me numbers. However there is something about him that I really like, and you need players like Grant on your football team. He could be a very useful player to have on third down and if we want to go with a receiver in the first round, he compliments that really well. He has reliable hands and he gets open, that's the kind of guy you want on your football team.

Would I Draft him for the Jets?

The price has to be right. I wouldn't select him before the 4th round, if we could snag him in the 5th that would be great. However he has just had a really strong week at the Senior Bowl and that makes his stock unpredictable. As I mentioned above, you need players like Grant on your team. He's never going to be a #1 back, but if you want someone to pop up and make a play who has reliable hands....then he's not a bad player to have. I'd think about it with a 4th rounder, and I'd pull the trigger with a 5th. However he may not even be available in the 4th if his stock continued to rise.

Video Highlights

RYAN GRANT TULANE 2012 HIGHLIGHTS (via ben brave)