Possible UFDA/7th Round Sleeper: RB/WR Samajie Grant - The Case For A Small Guy With Big Potential

[Saca312]

To spice things up before draft day, I thought it'd be interesting to throw the name of a super late round guy into discussion as a possible Panther. Sure, it may or may not happen, but if we're looking to evolve, this guy may be one way to do it late.

His name is Samajie Grant.  He's a WR/RB hyrbid. 

And he's pretty small.

He's the same size as Smitty - 5 foot 9 inches - yet 8lbs lighter than the Panther all-time great at 177lbs. He saw time as an emergency starter in occasional instances, but nothing much other than so. Nevertheless, he flashed a great amount of ability for his size.

Taking a look at one of my old threads concerning runnningbacks, it was interesting to note he scored extremely well in certain places.

His straight line speed at the combine may be a turn-off, but he definitely plays real fast going game speed. To really evaluate speed, discontinue the notion 40 times determine overall speed when considering the following:

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A player can be fast in different contexts. Speed can be measured over a variety of distances and directions. 40 yards in a straight line is the most recognizable format that people use to measure a football player's speed. While intermediate to long-range sprinting speed has its benefits, there are other components of being "fast" as a football player.

Short area burst - or acceleration - and non-linear speed from shuttle times are often more accurate representations of the speed required of a football player during the majority of his time on the field. A big difference exists between a player running fast in conditions when he isn't in several pounds of pads, hasn't been hit dozens of times for 45-50 minutes, and when his stamina level is not taxed.

A player running at the combine isn't being tested to think and react to outside stimuli such as a called play or opposing defenders trying to take his head off. So, good reasoning exists to wonder whether functional speed is inadvertently overlooked during the pre-draft evaluation process. A football player that can't make good decisions instinctively is no longer as fast as a player that can react rather than think. These near-instant and instinctive decisions allowed players such as Arian Foster, Michael Irvin, and Priest Holmes to make big plays throughout their careers, while lacking "impressive stopwatch speed" at their respective positions.

 

 

With these ideas in check, it's no wonder why Samajie Grant is a part of the star caliber player in the realm of speed and acceleration:

Speed

Acceleration

A component of speed, acceleration is how fast a player can get to full speed from a stop, a change of direction, or from a slower speed. Acceleration is arguably one of the greatest assets a runner has. How much of it he has and how he uses it in the context of a play can tip the scales in favor of a smaller runner lacking top-end speed (Emmett Smith) versus a bigger runner that can pull away in the open field, but has difficulty geting past the line of scrimmage (Bishop Sankey).

If Samajie Grant makes a team, it will likely happen as a UDFA or 7th rounder. A receiver for the bulk of his career, Grant had scintillating moments as an emergency starter at Arizona. Grant's speed bolster's the appeal of his versatility.

Another interesting mention is how good he is in the elusive category. In fact, there was a lot of praise for him there.

Elusiveness

An elusive runner avoids a contact. If a runner has sufficient agility to change direction and drive the opposing defender off balance or avoid a direct hit, he possesses an adequate amount of elusiveness to his running style. There are several techniques ball carriers use to avoid hits. Some runners have all the techniques in their arsenal and can keep defenders off balance with an endless variety of moves, while others may only have a few effective moves in certain situations.

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Samajie Grant is in a different category. He's as light on his feet as any back I've seen since Eric Metcalf. He's so quick in control of his cuts that when he presses tight to a blocker's back and cuts behind it, the lint and turf fibers from the blocker's jersey are the only things that make contact with Grant. I doubt he'll be signed to a tryout as a running back, but it's worth consideration.

Very interesting to see. Speed, acceleration, and elusiveness. Sounds like a very versatile player for any offense. His ability to play WR and RB just proves itself to be interesting in it of itself. A guy worth watching out for indeed.

To cap this off, here's a nice write-up on the kid and his potential as a huge sleeper in this draft:

https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/2017/01/18/rsp-film-room-rbwr-samajie-grant/

Good football players come in all shapes and sizes. The three things that most have in common are toughness, effort, and creativity.

Arizona slot receiver and part-time running back Samajie Grant has these three qualities and pound-for-pound, he’s one of the most entertaining players I’ve watched in this class of skill prospects.

Grant had 45 receptions as a slot receiver last year, but my first exposure to Grant was this November matchup with Colorado where he was called upon to be the starting running back. Although CU drubbed Arizona, Grant accounted for 14 of its first 17 points and delivered an invaluable assist for the final touchdown.

What fascinates me most about Grant in relation to analysis and projection of prospects is the delicate line between talent and role. When analysts and scouts grade players, they have to choose a position category. When they do, that assigned spot—be it RB or WR— shapes the perspective that evaluators have about a player’s skills.

It’s why players like Danny Woodhead and Tyreek Hill fall through the cracks on draft day. Teams with imagination and flexible thinking capitalize on the conventional thinking that influences organizations to shy away.

The conventional organizational perspective on these players fits one or all of these thoughts:

1. They don’t know how to create a productive role for this type of player.
2. They fear that the prospect is a true gadget player—a term for a limited talent disguised by his exciting college career as an athlete.
3. They stuck in “either/or” thinking with assigning a position to the prospect.

At this point, I haven’t seen enough of Grant to truly gauge his value as a receiver so let’s presume for now that he’s a much better runner. If so, he’s not a conventional back.

Even if he somehow reports to his Pro Day at 5’9″ 195 and can keep that weight on him, we’re talking that he’s at best comparable to Clinton Portis as a rookie struggling to maintain that weight, which the Broncos felt—as talented as he was— was too light for a feature back.

If Grant is as small as he looks, an evaluator has to consider the current (or majority) reality of the league, the possibilities beyond that reality, and a realistic happy medium between the two.

The current reality indicates that Grant earning top-12 status as a ballcarrier in this class is ludicrous. If he’s below 190 pounds, there are only a handful of small players during the past 30 years of football that have earned a pivotal role on an NFL offense.

But when these exceptions occur, it’s often due to a team having a fluid role that blurs the lines between traditional position expectations and these players often perform as top prospects in hindsight. It means that if Grant finds a team that can maximize the skills you’ll see below, his value will transcend any conservative grading formula that turns its nose up at a smaller player that doesn’t fit the square hole.

So, what's his fit?

Now, he certainly wouldn't be as intimidating or as insane as McCaffrey in this team, but he certainly can provide a McCaffrey-lite type of role. His ability to work the slot is one thing to note and develop, and as a runner he's real fast and elusive in space. He could challenge Whittaker as our scatback in this offense, and be a solid chess piece in an intricate player having a role in evolving how we play. 

A small guy with big potential. A name to watch for in the late ends of the draft.

 

[mc52beast]

All he needs is a great OC, and we sure have one in Charlotte... oh, wait. 

[Ricky Spanish]

Looks like he has decent ball skills for a little guy.

Nowhere near as sturdy as Smitty was with that frame. Smith might have been short but he was solid freaking muscle. This guy is pretty lean. 

I'd love to take a flier on a late round WR. I just want more playmakers. 

[tukafan21]

Seeing as I'm an Arizona alum, I'd be 100% on board with this.

But he's not a RB, he only played it a little this year because our top like 5 RBs all got hurt and he had the wheels to do some damage back there running the option offense of Rich Rod.

But the kid has dynamic breakaway speed, he really can be a game changer.

The one reason I don't want him though however is to me it would say the team doesn't see a future for Byrd as they're pretty similar, and I love Byrd's upside potential, so picking up Grant wouldn't hide well for that.

[Saca312]

32 minutes ago, tukafan21 said:

Seeing as I'm an Arizona alum, I'd be 100% on board with this.

But he's not a RB, he only played it a little this year because our top like 5 RBs all got hurt and he had the wheels to do some damage back there running the option offense of Rich Rod.

But the kid has dynamic breakaway speed, he really can be a game changer.

The one reason I don't want him though however is to me it would say the team doesn't see a future for Byrd as they're pretty similar, and I love Byrd's upside potential, so picking up Grant wouldn't hide well for that.

Agreed. He's not a pure runningback, but he could very well be a solid scatback. His speed and elusiveness is amazing, and oh my god his cuts are insane.

Never seen a guy so slippery in my life. That's what I think when I see him play; a little piece of soap slipping away from defenders. He's got good acceleration and speed.

Then again, he could very well be a fantastic WR as well if he works it up. A late round project who could very well pan out.

[KillaCamNewton]

Lmao had a couple of classes with him my sophomore year. He's a terror in the open field but he's way too small. Ive seen him in person hundreds of times and Id be shocked if he weighs 180

[UpstatePanther]

meh. one tough hit by a DT and he'll be broken in half. makes him injury prone

[heel31ok]

17 hours ago, tukafan21 said:

Seeing as I'm an Arizona alum, I'd be 100% on board with this.

But he's not a RB, he only played it a little this year because our top like 5 RBs all got hurt and he had the wheels to do some damage back there running the option offense of Rich Rod.

But the kid has dynamic breakaway speed, he really can be a game changer.

The one reason I don't want him though however is to me it would say the team doesn't see a future for Byrd as they're pretty similar, and I love Byrd's upside potential, so picking up Grant wouldn't hide well for that.

if he beats out Byrd that's on Byrd...we all have faves but we need to keep upgrading if we can...

[panthers55]

We have signed guys like him before. Ryne Robinson, Joe Adams etc. They just aren't big enough to make it in the NFL.

[therealmjl]

1 minute ago, panthers55 said:

We have signed guys like him before. Ryne Robinson, Joe Adams etc. They just aren't big enough to make it in the NFL.

Man I had high hopes for Joe Adams.

[Bronn]

My favorite guy in this category is Tarik Cohen. He comes out of some junk and makes the most out of some terrible blocking better than most I have ever seen.

He, too, is bit by the size bug.

[Saca312]

1 minute ago, Bronn said:

My favorite guy in this category is Tarik Cohen. He comes out of some junk and makes the most out of some terrible blocking better than most I have ever seen.

He, too, is bit by the size bug.

Yep. He's legit. Like a freaking joystick on the field, he's amazing.

He's got the quickness and speed to be a solid scatback.

[Bronn]

Just now, Saca312 said:

Yep. He's legit. Like a freaking joystick on the field, he's amazing.

He's got the quickness and speed to be a solid scatback.

I actually like Grant, too, but to me he is more the natural open field/hole exploiter of the two.

Cohen reminds me of Noel Devine in ways, and I'm hoping he makes a squad at least for a few years and gets a shot to see game action.

Every year there are these small RBs or smaller WRs that I hope get a good chance to catch on somewhere in the right situation. But, unfortunately, more often than not they can't survive in the NFL.

Ryan Switzer is another example of a guy this might apply to, too.