3 UCF prospects Jacksonville Jaguars can consider in 2nd round

Richie Grant could be a low-key solid pick for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Even though it looked for a moment like this list would include only UCF cornerbacks, safety Richie Grant showed up. Knights wide receiver Marlon Williams will also get his name call in the draft, but he’s projected to be a late-round pick, and since this countdown focuses on potential second-round selections, he didn’t make the cut.

This isn’t a deep safety class and we could see the first one drafted until the second round like last year. On the other hand, there will be some talented prospects and Grant should be one of the first four to get picked. His 90.0 Pro Football Focus run grade was the best among college safeties last season and can also drop back in coverage.

Over his four-year collegiate career with the Knights, Grant logged 290 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss, ten interceptions, and 17 passes defensed. At UCF’s Pro Day, he ran a 4.54 40-yard dash and posted a 34.5-inch vertical jump and a broad jump of 10 feet, 9 inches, per Reese’s Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy, who heard from multiple teams that Grant looked great during defensive back drills.

Grant doesn’t have elite speed or range but he could be a nice addition to a Jags’ secondary that is in need of as many difference-makers as they can get. This Jacksonville team could wait until the third round to call dibs on the UCF safety but if they don’t want someone else to jump ahead of them, they shouldn’t wait and draft him in the second.