New England Patriots: Geneo Grissom a Perfect Fit

By Dan Schmelzer | Jun 4, 2015

With the loss of Darrelle Revis and others in the secondary this off season, the New England Patriots clearly do not have the same kind of talent at the cornerback position. Instead of trying to replace a talent like Revis (a seemingly impossible task), the Patriots decided to beef up their defensive front seven to help with the expected lack of talent in the secondary.

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On paper, the Patriots are now loaded up front. The biggest free agent signing the team made this off season was the addition of outside pass rusher Jabaal Sheard, who has a ton of versatility, allowing him to handle a lot of roles for the Patriots.

Starting with first round pick, and talented defensive tackle Malcom Brown, the Patriots continue to build their defensive front seven in the draft. The Patriots also used the turn of the third and fourth round to solidify things up front, as they selected Geneo Grissom with the 97th overall pick and Trey Flowers 101st overall.

Flowers was considered a great value pick at the time of the selection, and he will certainly make an impact for New England as a defensive end. However, Grissom is the more interesting player to me, as his athleticism and versatility make him a seemingly incredible fit for how much the Patriots like to mix things up defensively.

Dec 29, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks defensive end Trey Flowers (86) sacks Texas Longhorns quarterback

Tyrone Swoopes

(18) during the first half in the 2014 Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Playing as both a defensive end with his hand in the dirt and a stand-up outside linebacker, Grissom had a mixed college career at Oklahoma. He flashed obvious upside and athleticism on a regular basis, but consistent position changes and a sprained MCL in 2014 held him back from ever reaching his full potential.

Grissom has a great combination of length, speed and power that could make him a feared pass rusher at the next level. His combine numbers (4.81 40-yard dash, 37″ vertical leap and 7.24 three-cone drill) backed up his impressive raw athleticism on the field, making Grissom an intriguing prospect for the Patriots going forward.

At 6-foot-3, 262 pounds with a rock-hard physique, Grissom certainly looks the part. On the field, he shows a great first step that allows him to get the edge as a pass rusher, and plenty of quickness and acceleration to make necessary pass rush moves.

Grissom has a ton of natural strength to his game, which allows him to shed off would-be blockers with regularity. He also has very nice length, and that is always key for a pass rusher to keep his space. Grissom not only has shown the ability to consistently get to the quarterback, he has that natural ability to knock down passes at the line of scrimmage, which has become a very valuable tool in today’s NFL.

While he is probably best suited as a pass rusher, Grissom has good instincts against the run as well. He is a good, but not great tackler, who also has some coverage skills. Grissom can legitimately line-up as a down defensive end in a three or four man front, and as a pass rushing outside linebacker. He has the athleticism and instincts to handle a little bit of inside linebacker if needed as well.

Grissom’s versatility will certainly come in handy for the Patriots, who never seems to be in the same defensive formation for two plays in a row. His natural strength, speed and athleticism would also theoretically make Grissom a potential special teams star. If nothing else, he will have an opportunity to shine on special teams right away.

Position versatility is the main reason that Grissom is such a perfect fit for the Patriots, but he takes it to a completely different level. As a sophomore at Oklahoma, Grissom saw some time as a tight end. While the move to the offensive side of the ball never really held, Grissom showed some very nice upside there.

At his pro day, Grissom did workout as a tight end for teams. While the Patriots seem to be fully committed to Grissom on defense, according to Kevin Duffy of MassLive.com, Bill Belichick was impressed by Grissom’s tight end workout.

“His workout at tight end was as good of a tight end workout as we saw all year,” Belichick noted according to Duffy. “This guy can run, he can catch. If you didn’t know he didn’t play tight end, you would look at the workout and say, ‘That’s a great looking tight end.'”

Sep 6, 2014; Tulsa, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Geneo Grissom (85) stiff arms Tulsa Golden Hurricane quarterback

Dane Evans

(9) and returns an interception for a touchdown during the second half at Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

I do not see Grissom working as a tight end as a rookie, especially considering the Patriots’ extreme depth at the position. That being said, he obviously has the talent to make an impact at the position, and do not be surprised to see Belichick using Grissom offensively in goal-line situations down the line.

For now however, he is a defensive player, and a potentially very good one at that. His natural versatility will give him a chance, but make no mistake, even setting versatility aside, Grissom has the talent and upside to be a star on the Patriots’ defense.

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