Skip to main content
Advertising

News | Washington Commanders - Commanders.com

Hard Working Ryan Grant Ready To Make Noise

A countdown of the top-10 images of wide receiver Ryan Grant during the 2014 season.

Despite his quiet demeanor, Redskins receiver Ryan Grant is doing everything he can to make noise this upcoming season -- and many more to come.

In many ways, Ryan Grant is a throwback to the wide receivers of earlier NFL days.

Unlike seemingly every other player in the NFL today, Grant doesn't utilize a Twitter account and rarely tries to bring attention to himself.

When asked questions by the media, he gives honest, but very straightforward answers.

"He's a quiet guy. He stays to himself," cornerback Bashaud Breeland said of Grant. "He's a hard worker. He comes in the building, and will be the first one to come in and the last to leave sometimes. He's a guy that doesn't really show or brag about what he's doing, but he really gets a lot done."

He's just here to help the Redskins win games.

And although Grant doesn't like to talk much -- let alone about himself -- his head coach thinks the second-year wide receiver speaks volumes with his play.

"Ryan Grant, he's awesome, man. He really is," Jay Gruden said. "He runs every route exactly like you tell him to run it. He doesn't make any mental mistakes. He's got big strong hands."

Wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard agrees, admitting Grant is "one of my favorite guys."

"I think everybody says the same thing," Hilliard said. "He came here as a rookie last year and he put on quite the show. It's just a situation where he has to wait his turn. He has three guys that have a resume that's a little bigger than his and he's got to put his time in and continue to work and we expect him to be a bigger player this year than he was last year."

Grant – who was drafted by the Redskins in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft – was among the most surprising offseason performers last season, drawing rave reviews from veteran teammates and coaches alike.

Gruden even remarked that Grant "plays like a 10-year veteran already."

With the 2015 NFL Combine underway, Redskins.com will look back at past Redskins that attended the event. Today, it's Ryan Grant.

And that was after just two rookie minicamp practices last season.

During the preseason, Grant paced all Redskins wide receivers in receptions (14) and touchdowns (two), while finishing with 165 receiving yards – 12th most in the NFL.

But once the regular season came around, Grant was used only in certain packages for the offense.

Fast forward to this season, and Gruden said he's already seen marked growth in the Tulane product's game, which could possibly lead to more playing time.

"He's trying to prove that he deserves some reps and every time he gets a rep he takes advantage of it, and that's the one thing we're trying to get across these guys," Gruden said. "You may get 10 reps a day in practice. Make sure you take advantage of those reps, and Ryan is one of those guys who takes advantage of every rep he gets. Even the reps that he doesn't get the ball thrown to him, you can see he's working his hardest coming in and out of breaks and getting open and fighting to get off bump and run or what have you. So very, very, very impressed with Ryan and [he's] done an excellent job, but he has taken advantage of his reps so far."

Perhaps no player on the roster has seen Grant's ability firsthand than Breeland, a 2014 draft classmate.

The two went head-to-head on many occasions during practices last season. Breeland said their battles made him game ready for his own standout rookie season.

"He's got very strong hands, so it's very hard to get the ball out of them sometimes," Breeland said of Grant. "He runs real good routes, so it's 50/50 when we go at it. He's going to win some, and I'm going to win some. We're making each other better. That's the ultimate goal in the end."

Linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, meanwhile, believes successful teams are built with players similar to Grant in both talent and mindset. 

"Ryan's a very good football player that does things the right way," Kerrigan said. "His actions speak much louder than his words, and that's what you want in a teammate, someone who's going to work hard and perform well."

.

.

.

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.
Advertising