Jakeem Grant won’t let size dictate his career

It’s a daunting task for any rookie coming into the NFL.  Once you’re drafted you’re just a few short months away from going against bigger, faster and stronger competition than what you faced in college.

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For Miami Dolphins rookie wide receiver Jakeem Grant, you can go ahead and put an exclamation point right behind the word bigger.  Coming into the league listed at 5-7, Grant knows he’ll be one of – if not the – smallest player on the field every given Sunday.

One thing Grant also knows?

He’ll be one of the fastest, too.

The former Texas Tech Red Raider had a prolific four years strapping up every weekend against the top talent in the Big 12.  He played in 49 games throughout his collegiate career, hauling in 254 passes for 3,286 yards (Texas Tech school record) and 27 touchdowns.  In what was his Senior year this past season, he put up a 90/1,268/10 stat line.

Those 2015 numbers, aside from one less touchdown, were all better than 1st round Minnesota Vikings selection Laquon Treadwell.

Those numbers, also, didn’t warrant an invite to a major college all-star game (Grant was invited to the College Gridiron Showcase) or the NFL combine.

Instead, the Kevin Hart look-a-like used getting overlooked as a motivational tool to better prepare for his pro day where he reportedly ran a 4.12 40 time.  That alone may have been all Dolphins front office staff needed to pull the trigger on the electrifying athlete from Mesquite, Tx 186th overall in this year’s NFL draft.

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The NFL isn’t an impossible place to survive as a small player.  Many others were touted as being “too small” to succeed.  You don’t have to stray very far before you find the name Zach Thomas; always said to be undersized at the middle linebacker position, Thomas exceeded expectations at Texas Tech before becoming an icon in the Dolphins organization.

Grant, however, finds himself on the other side of the ball whether it be on offense or returning kicks, something he also did exceptionally well as a Red Raider.  Throughout his career he returned four kickoffs for a touchdown including two his Senior year.

Can you name any undersized players to find success returning kicks in the NFL?  Dante Hall and Trindon Holliday are just two names that come to mind.

Size matters.  You can’t deny that.  But speed and a desire to beat the man in front of you matters, too.  Grant has these tools and he knows how to use them to his advantage.

Training camp is set to kickoff just a little more than a couple weeks from now.  Grant will have every opportunity to take the stage and prove himself against the bigger players the NFL has to offer.

And to his Dolphins teammates and the rest of the league?  Well, they’ll have to prove that they can keep up.