Washington Redskins: Five Breakout Candidates

Sep 14, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver Ryan Grant (14) is unable to control the ball as Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Dwayne Gratz (27) defends during the second half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Grant | Wide Receiver

The Washington Redskins drafted Ryan Grant in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft. Like Matt Jones is doing this year, Grant wowed his coaches regularly during practice as a rookie. Fast forward a year, and the hype and promise still resonates around Grant and his approach.

In a post for the Redskins official team site, Stephen Czarda captured the following statement from Redskins receivers coach Ike Hilliard, “He came here as a rookie last year and he put on quite the show. It’s just a situation where he has to wait his turn. He has three guys that have a resume that’s a little bigger than his and he’s got to put his time in and continue to work and we expect him to be a bigger player this year than he was last year.”

Like Hilliard mentioned in his statement, Grant is currently playing behind a slew of talented receivers and will have improve his game to garner more playing time. The 24-year-old saw little action as a rookie, as he only managed to catch seven passes for 68 yards on the year.

I don’t foresee Grant surpassing Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson or Andre Roberts on the depth chart, but I do believe that his production and usage within the offense will improve. I don’t think that 30+ catches is out of the question for the second year wideout.

Next: A dangerous returner