Richie Grant NFL Draft 2021: Scouting Report for Atlanta Falcons Safety

HEIGHT: 5'11 ⅝"

WEIGHT: 197

POSITIVES:

—Active player who is always around the ball.

—Performs well in the blox. Takes good angles to the ball.

—Solid tacking in the open field by taking good angles.

—Plays with quick feet getting out of breaks.

—Good vision and awareness in coverage. Plays quarterbacks' eyes well.

NEGATIVES:

—Poor field vision and block destruction. Rarely sees blocks to his sides and can get stuck to blocks.

—Plays with average speed and burst.

—Can struggle in man coverage. Lacks agility needed to be a consistent slot defender.

2020 STATISTICS:

72 tackles, 3 INT, 5 PBU, 2 FR, 2 FF

OVERALL

Grant is an athletic safety who had great overall production in 2020. The UCF defense allowed him to play at multiple levels. With less-than-average length, Grant is a physical tackler who takes good angles to the ball. He does just as well coming from deep or starting in the box. His overall lack of strength can show at times in both the run and pass; where he has melted off some bigger ball-carriers.

With good testing speed, Grant shows slower play speed at times, which can force him to readjust his angles in run support. Though he does have above-average man skills, Grant is best when he has his eyes on the quarterback and is able to sink and jump routes. Grant may not be a starter in his early NFL career, but he can add some depth to a room.

GRADE: 7.5/10 (Potential NFL Starter—Round 3)

OVERALL RANK: 96/300

POSITION RANK: S4

PRO COMPARISON: Mike Edwards

Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings