Scouting Profile: Charles Grant - OT - William & Mary
Sales Pitch: Long athletic tackle w/ excellent pass protection ability. A lighter bodied player from the FCS level who will require a bit of an adjustment period.
*Gold Numbers Indicate NCAA T-25 for 2024*
Scouting Report
Charles Grant is a former unrecruited lineman from the state of Virginia, where he was an All-State wrestler in addition to playing football. Grant was a multi-year starter for William & Mary at the FCS level, finishing his career with 36 straight starts. He leaves the program as a highly decorated lineman, with three 1st Team All-CAA awards in addition to being a two time FCS All-American honoree.
Grant is an athletic tackle with a massive wingspan (73rd percentile arm length). The Williams & Mary run game ran a heavy dose of zone concepts (68% for his career) which played to his strength as a mover. Grant has a quick first step to get his head across on reach blocks, with the hip fluidity to get around and seal. He is a fluid mover in space when working to cut off LBs and DBs at the second level. Grant does a fantastic job keeping his frame upright and balanced when tracking smaller players in space. He uses his long arms to attach and control defenders to steer and drive them out of the picture. As a pass protector Grant displays the speed out of his stance to access multiple set points. He keeps his back straight with his hands ready and active. He shows light feet to mirror speed rushers and independent hands to avoid over committing. Grant weaponizes his long arms to keep defenders at his finger tips and shows the speed and accuracy to vary his punch timings to keep rushers off guard.
The biggest question for Grant coming out as a prospect will be how he handles jumping from the FCS level to the NFL. Grant has a lighter upright frame that may get pushed around at the next level. It wasn’t often an issue in college where he was more physically gifted that most defenders, but a high pad level and average knee bend will limit his ability to drive linemen off the ball at the next level. Grant wasn’t often asked to execute gap scheme blocks and it will be big question for him depending on his landing spot in the pros. His lack of mass maybe also cause some issues in pass protection. Grant’s upright exposed chest is a good target for long-arms and his lighter lower half may not be able to recover at the same level in the pros. He will also have to clean up his footwork to avoid giving short access angles to power rushers attacking his half shoulder.
Grant profiles as a starting tackle in a zone running scheme. His length and movement skills are excellent for the position, but he will need to add mass and strength to start at the next level. Grant projects as a bit of a project but his tools should make him a Top-75 selection.