Richie

Grant

Hellams was carted from the field with an air cast applied to his left leg. Although he recently lost out to Richie Grant in the competition for the Falcons’ No. 2 safety role, Hellams remained a capable rotational defender. He played 249 coverage snaps last season without giving up an explosive pass play (15-plus yards) when in primary coverage.

Grant (6'0/197) initially signed with UCF, the only FBS school to offer him, as a two-star WR/DB recruit in 2016, transitioning to safety full-time while redshirting his first year on campus. Grant earned first-team All-AAC honors in each of his three seasons as a starter, seeing most of his action as a free safety, with some time in the slot (6.78 three-cone) and in the box sprinkled throughout. When needed, Grant is plenty willing as a tackler and run fitter, though he is also still unrefined there. The Falcons lost starting safeties Ricardo Allen and Damontae Kazee this offseason, paving a path for Grant to potentially start in Week 1.

Grant (6'0/197) has gone through an impressive journey to arrive at the NFL. Back in 2016, Grant signed with UCF, the only FBS school to offer him, as a two-star WR/DB recruit. He transitioned fully to safety while redshirting his first year on campus, earning a starting role by 2018. Grant earned first-team All-AAC honors in each of his three seasons as a starter. On the field, Grant saw most of his action as a free safety, with some time in the slot (6.78 three-cone) and in the box sprinkled throughout. Grant plays with a head-on-fire style, even if he can play a bit too uncontrolled at times. When needed, Grant is plenty willing as a tackler and run fitter, though he is also still unrefined there. Grant is rough around the edges, but has the right athleticism and demeanor to be a starting free safety. The Falcons lost starting safeties Ricardo Allen and Damontae Kazee this offseason.

While first-round buzz is heating up for Grant, Pauline isn’t quite sure if the UCF standout can make the first-round cut proper later this month, as he believes that teams in the later range of the round will largely be looking for edge and offensive line help. That said, the 6-foot, 194-pounder has been a consistent performer throughout the evaluating season, showing out well both in Senior Bowl practices and at Central Florida’s pro day. If Grant can’t make Round 1, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be waiting around too long on Day 2.

Grant (5'11/186) posted a respectable 40-yard dash time in addition to a 6.78 second 3-Cone drill and 10'9" broad jump that rank as top flight marks. His overall 6.36 is good, but not great. Grant has seen his draft stock rise all the way up to 37th overall, which is where The Athletic draft analyst Dane Brugler has him ranked. The former two-star recruit should see his name called on Day 2 of the upcoming NFL Draft.

Grant (6'0/194) who started UCF’s wins over Georgia Tech and East Carolina, was not in the starting lineup for the Knights’ October 3 loss to Tulsa but did play. UCF having this past weekend off has helped out with the recovery process, as HC Josh Heupel said on Monday that he expects to have the redshirt junior back on the field. Whether Grant starts or not remains to be seen, but getting back one of the American Athletic Conference’s best defensive backs will be a positive for the Knights.

“Richie Grant is explosive from the safety position, and he’s a hard hitter who forces the action. He shows a closing burst to the ball and really stands out as a run defender,” Pauline wrote in his analysis. Grant (6'0/194) was outstanding in 2018, as he led UCF in total tackles (109), solo tackles (69) and interceptions (six). For his efforts the redshirt junior was a first team all-conference selection, and his name should be on some preseason awards watch lists.

Grant (6'0/194) recorded 33 defensive stops, seven more than the next closest AAC safety. He started all 13 games last season for the Knights, racking up 109 tackles and six interceptions over the course of the season. Grant’s a little undersized but makes up for it with his playing ability. He’ll continue to be one of UCF’s top defensive backs in 2019.