Report: Colts Holding Private Workout with Texas Tech WR Jakeem Grant
According to 247 Sports Insider Luke Rodgers, the Indianapolis Colts are holding a private workout with Texas Tech wide receiver Jakeem Grant:
Correction on Jakeem Grant, #Colts are holding private workout at Texas Tech with Grant. Not in Indy.
— Luke Rodgers (@thelukerodgers) March 22, 2016
While Grant wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine, he allegedly ran a 4.30 forty time–even as fast as a 4.12 at Texas Tech’s pro day on March 11th.
The 5’6″, 170 pound wide receiver can flat out fly and is coming off a strong senior season for the Red Raiders, recording 1,268 receiving yards on 90 receptions along with 10 receiving touchdowns.
He can also return kick returns, having returned 39 kickoffs for 1,017 total kick return yards (26.1 return average) and 2 return touchdowns during his senior season.
It’s clear that the Colts are set at the top of their depth chart at wideout with T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, and Phillip Dorsett.
However, the team could use some additional depth behind the aforementioned trio, which is something that head coach Chuck Pagano recently alluded to on Tuesday:
re: depth at WR, Pagano admits a bit of a concern. "We'll add some depth there." Hilton, Moncrief, Dorsett unquestioned top 3 right now
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) March 22, 2016
As such, a blazing fast wideout like Grant could really help to blow the top off of opposing secondaries and has the type of game-changing speed to be a difference-maker lower on the depth chart.
Even with Quan Bray, the fact that he can also serve as a special teams returnman is an added bonus.
At last year’s NFL Combine, general manager Ryan Grigson indicated that a wide receiver’s forty-time is something he really considers, when it comes to evaluating wideouts:
"“The other I would say is the 40 time, not that it is or isn’t the reason to draft a guy, but at the end of the day it helps you assign proper market value to the player,” said Grigson. “Especially at those skill positions.”"
Having drafted Hilton (4.34), Moncrief (4.40), and just recently, Dorsett (4.33), the Colts have never been shy about drafting blazing fast prospects at the wide receiver position. Quite frankly, they have a proven track record of drafting “burners”.
The scary part is that on a team with a number of already speedy wide receivers, Grant could become the fastest–which didn’t seem quite possible after the team drafted Dorsett last season.