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RB Ryan Grant, Green Bay Packers

HT: 6-1, WT: 218, Born: 12-9-1982, College: Notre Dame, Drafted: ---

2009 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of June 29th. [Full ADP list]

Overall: T Owens (31), W Welker (32), Ryan Grant (33), B Marshall (34), P Thomas (35)
Position: R Brown (28-RB15), K Smith (30-RB16), Ryan Grant (33 - RB17), P Thomas (35-RB18), M Lynch (38-RB19)
Click here for a comparison of these players.

 Click here to go to the Ryan Grant spotlight, our staff's most detailed analysis.

Best Case

In a perfect world, Ryan Grant puts behind his somewhat disappointing 2008 campaign and returns to the 2007 form that made him one of the more exciting running backs in the NFL. Last year he had 312 carries but only managed four rushing touchdowns. His lengthy offseason holdout probably had a negative impact on his season, so he should have a more focused 2009.

Worst Case

There is always a chance that the Grant we saw in 2007 was the anomaly. Without a Hall of Fame quarterback in the backfield, defenses were able to concentrate more on Grant and lessened his impact.

Outlook

The Packers offensive line is solid, the passing game is terrific and the rushing attack should be better than last year. There is no reason for Grant not to increase last season's poor yard-per-carry average this season, and his offense should afford him numerous scoring chances.

Relevant Articles

Why he is undervalued

Jeff Haseley - I'm convinced that Grant's preseason injury last year was more bothersome than he led people to believe - and why wouldn't he? He was coming off a big year the season prior and he didn't want to be replaced by a younger, healthier, more eager RB, so he played hurt and it showed. He was the 12th ranked RB in the league in after week eight last year. Grant will be healthy, he's on a good offensive team and he doesn't have much competition. If he stays healthy he could easily compete for a Top 10 RB rank.

Latest News

Packers | Grant wants to break long runs this season (Wed Jun 24, 01:00 AM) - Lori Nickel, of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, reports Green Bay Packers RB Ryan Grant said the hamstring injury he had at the start of the 2008 season hampered what he was able to do. This year he wants to break long-distance runs. He had a 57-yard run in the season opener, but failed to rush for longer than 22 yards on a play the rest of the way. 'The explosion on the big run is a big thing for me and I'm getting that back. I'm able to do that now because my legs are strong. I can do whatever I want, training-wise,' Grant said.

Our View: It's reassuring to hear Grant have an explanation for his poor performance in 2008, but it remains to be seen whether it was just an excuse or the truth. Grant is not very elusive, so he needs all the first-step explosion he can muster to break long runs.
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2009 Schedule

2008 Game Summaries

Week 1 - Grant failed to get the ball in the end zone despite having four carries within five yards of the goal line in the second quarter. The next time the Packers were at the goal line, he did not receive a carry. Grant made an important long run in the fourth quarter, hitting a big hole through the right side and then making a beautiful juke move at the ten yard line before being taken down at the two for a 57 yard run.

Week 2 - Still nursing a tender hamstring, it was not until game-time that it was decided Grant would play. While he was given a healthy dose of carries early (half of his game total came in the first twenty minutes), and he showed some of the same punch that he displayed last year, Grant seemed to wear down as the game progressed. Whether because of his injury or lack of conditioning, Grant was rarely on the field for more than two or three plays in a row, and when the Packers needed tough yards (including on the goal-line) it was fellow RB Brandon Jackson who got the call. Grant's day ended with a whimper as he only carried once in the fourth quarter, and his final two carries went for a total of -5 yards. Grant was not involved in the Packer passing game.

Week 3 - RB Ryan Grant was healthy enough to take on the bulk of the carries for the Packers. The team fell behind relatively early and they were forced to take it to the air and abandoned the running attack. On his first carry of the game, he fumbled the ball and Dallas recovered, which setup a field goal.

Grant only had one carry on a goal to go situation, carrying the ball from the eight yard line. He did not score.

Week 4 - It appeared that the Packers wanted to get Grant involved early in this game as he received 11 rushes in the first quarter, but those 11 attempts only went for 21 yards. Grant got only four more carriers for the rest of the game and his last nine touches went for a total of negative 9 yards. His third quarter fumble was returned 38 yards for a touchdown by Tampa Bay S Jermaine Phillips.

Week 5 - Though Grant still has yet to break 100 yards on the ground this season, he did show flashes of a running back who could put up big numbers in the running game. Ten of his 18 carries went for three yards or less, but Grant showed some good effort on his longer runs of 12, 13, and 14 yards as he made cuts and attacked the hole. The second half is were the running back accumulated most of his yards as he averaged 5.8 yards on his 10 carries.

Week 6 - Ryan Grant just kept hitting the Seahawks and pounding them play after play after play. He worked very hard for his 90 yards and at the end of the game he didn't even look tired. He was not used in the passing game. Grant did not break any big plays and his longest gain was seventeen yards. It was a gutsy and hard fought performance.

Week 7 - RB Ryan Grant ran the ball well against the Colts. He looked better than he has for most of this season and may be back on track following an early injury this year. He was not used much in the passing game but was clearly the featured back in the running game. He was basically untouched on his eleven yard touchdown run in the first half. He fumbled the ball in the first quarter but it was gobbled up by FB Korey Hall. Grant also powered his way through the line on a fourth and one situation for a seven yard gain.

Week 9 - Grant was the primary ball carrier for the Packers, and looked steady all day He had three runs over ten yards (13, 15, 13) and seemed to manage runs in the four to six yard range more often than not. On the downside, once the Packers are inside the ten, they throw more than they run, so he got no carries close to the goal line.

Week 10 - Ryan Grant actually looked like he had his burst back. One play was one guy away from going all the way. The safety got him around the legs to stop him. Grant did not have many holes but he worked hard and still got yards. He had more than one run for a first down and they were not untouched. Two long runs were called back on penalties. He would have had a great day if his offensive line could have blocked for him.

Week 11 - Grant had an unreal first half, running for 105 yards on just 13 carries, scoring a touchdown in the process. Grant looked early on, breaking loose for a 35 yard gain on a halfback draw on his second carry. Late in the second quarter, Grant continued his dominance as he ran for eight yards, 18 yards, and a 4 yard touchdown on three consecutive plays. Grant finished the afternoon with 145 rushing yards on 25 carries.

Week 12 - RB Ryan Grant was relatively quiet in the loss. He was the featured back but the team was forced to abandon the run in the second half as the Saints jumped out to a large lead. He looked strong in spots and was clearly the featured back for Green Bay.

Week 13 - Ryan Grant was off to a good start grinding out yards and showing some power. But he was hurt close to the end of the second quarter and did not see the field again. He was in uniform and it did not look serious.

Week 14 - Grant was effective, gaining 104 yards on his 19 attempts (no other Packer running back had a carry in the game.) His six yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave Green Bay their first lead of the game. Grant has been slowed by injuries this season, but looked good in this game. He caught his only target for an eight yard gain.

Week 15 - Grant ran hard whenever he had the ball, but although he seemed on the verge of breaking loose for big gains a few times, was unable to do so. He showed good power as he gained several yards after being initially hit at or near the line of scrimmage on some of his rushes. The only pass he dropped was just outside the red zone, and he had blockers in front of him, giving him a decent chance of getting into the end zone. His team settled for a field goal on that drive.

Week 16 - Grant had a very nice first half as he carried the ball 12 times for 40 yards and added two receptions for 23 yards, including a 17 yard touchdown pass. Grant caught a short screen pass from QB Aaron Rodgers and he turned up field and broke the tackle by rookie safety Craig Steltz. Steltz had replaced an injured S Mike Brown two plays earlier. Grant did very little in the second half as he had 13 carries for 21 yards.

Week 17 - Grant had a solid rushing day for the Packers with 19 carries for 106 yards and added three receptions for 23 yards on three targets in the passing game. While Grant failed to get in the end zone and lost a fumble, he did have an 80 yard touchdown run called back and had another productive rushing day to cap off an improved second half of the year after his slow start.