2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: S Richie Grant, UCF
S RICHIE GRANT
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 194 lbs.
Class: Senior
School: Central Florida
A former two-star recruit who was the 2,520th ranked prospect in the 2016 recruiting class, he's now one of the top safeties in this draft class. He attended Choctawhatchee Senior High School in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
Grant amassed impressive stats for the Knights; in four seasons, Grant had 290 tackles, 11.5 for a loss, ten interceptions, 17 passes defended, and five forced fumbles. 2018 was his best season. Grant had 108 tackles, 3 for a loss, six interceptions, three passes defended, and two forced fumbles.
He was a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist in 2020. First Team All-AAC from 2018-2020. He landed on the Bednarik, Walter Camp, Nagurski, and Thorpe watch lists before the 2019 season. Grant made an impression at UCF, and he will attempt to do the same at the next level.
Notables
According to Pro Football Focus, Grant led the AAC in defensive stops during his junior season, recording 33 defensive stops, seven more than the next closest AAC safety.
As a senior, he played in all nine regular-season games, starting eight times at safety, leading the Knights with 72 tackles, and added 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and a quarterback hurry. He also led the way with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries to go with two forced fumbles and added six pass break-ups, second on the team.
Ranked second in the AAC and ninth in the nation with two fumble recoveries. He led the conference with 5.4 solo tackles per game.
Traits
He possesses solid size and thickness throughout his extremities while displaying very good athletic ability, highlighted by his good burst, quickness, change of direction, and fluidity.
He was a leader for UCF and was incredibly versatile; he played single high, deep half, in the box at linebacker, overhang, and even as the outside corner at times.
Good range and excellent ball skills. Baits quarterbacks and breaks on the football in a timely manner with very good click & close on underneath routes. He is solid in man coverage --he rides the inside hip, waits for the pass, and gets his hands into the catch point to force PBUs.
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Does a good job in zone coverage with solid mental processing - passes routes off, seems to communicate well most of the time, and is very good as a single high safety.
He plays through the catch point and shows a very good closing burst. His active hands assist him in altering receivers through their routes just subtly enough not to get flagged.
He plays with very good vision when in deep coverage. His aggressive nature can be taken advantage of with pump fakes--he will jump underneath at times. Aggressiveness gets him in trouble at times as the contain defender on zone reads.
A very physical and adept alley defender (led ACC in STOPS, PFF stat that determines negative offensive plays in the run game, in 2019); flies downhill, when square, and delivers punishing hits with excellent play strength while showing an innate ability to force fumbles.
He generally wraps up and makes low hard tackles but does go for the fumble sometimes, which doesn’t maximize his tackling attempts. Solid tackler in space; takes good angles, and comes in fast to make tackles.
Grant has great versatility, can play single high, and is more than capable as a tackler - he can be a very intriguing player. He will look to solidify himself as a top safety at the Reese’s Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine.
He’s a playmaker who can make an impact in multiple ways, and he could hear his name called on Day 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft.
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