William & Mary offensive tackle Charles Grant is among the most athletic and unique prospects at his position in the 2025 NFL Draft. A former wrestler who didn't begin playing football until his junior year of high school, Grant went from raw no-name recruit to a potential second-round pick. He’s arguably garnered more intrigue from NFL teams than any other prospect in the draft.
Grant recently spoke exclusively with The Draft Network. Grant discussed his humble beginnings, showing loyalty to William & Mary as opposed to entering the transfer portal, his traits and abilities as an offensive tackle, which teams he’s scheduled to visit over the next few weeks, and more.
JM: You played your entire college career at William & Mary. That sticks out to me, particularly in the NIL era. As good of a prospect as you are, surely you had opportunities to enter the portal and chase some money. What kept you at William & Mary?
Charles Grant: William & Mary took a chance on me coming out of high school. I only had two years of experience. I was like 240 pounds. They took a shot on me. I just felt like I had to repay the program for the opportunity they gave me to extend my playing career. I was very thankful for what they did for me.
JM: That says a lot about your character. I didn’t realize you only played two years of football before college. Wow.
Charles Grant: Yup, I started playing football during my junior year of high school.
JM: You were a late bloomer. What drew you to the game that late?
Charles Grant: I was participating in a wrestling tournament. My high school football coach was in attendance and watched me take down an offensive lineman on his team (laughs). He said hey, come out to practice. If you can do that again, you’ll start on our team.
I decided to try out. The rest is history.
JM: What a crazy path it’s been for you. Playing on the offensive line keeps you in close quarters most of the time. Your background in wrestling definitely helped you acclimate.
Charles Grant: I have a natural sense of body leverage and body control. That helped a ton for sure. I have a lot of natural power throughout my body as well. I was stronger on the field than I was in the weight room coming into college because of wrestling. I was able to continue building at William & Mary.
JM: For sure you did. You recently represented William & Mary at the NFL Combine. Your measurements were outstanding at 6-foot-5 and 311 pounds with arms longer than 34 inches. How do you use size and length to your advantage?
Charles Grant: It continues to tie into my wrestling background. I’ve been wrestling since the seventh grade. You have to learn how to keep your opponents at bay. You can’t let them get too close to you. It translated to my game.
I try to use my arm length to create distance between myself and my opponent. I keep guys where I want them. That allows me to consistently be in stronger positions.
JM: This tackle class has a lot of short-armed tackles who may kick inside to guard. Teams must appreciate that there are no questions about your position. You're a tackle.
Charles Grant: That’s the consistent feedback I’ve been hearing. Sometimes you hear a scout say that old saying, “let him fail at tackle and move him inside to guard.” I’m not going to fail at tackle, though. I think I’ll perform excellently at the position.
JM: There’s no doubt in my mind. Because you have that athleticism and length, how do you handle speed differently from power in pass protection? You were probably more used to power with your wrestling background.
Charles Grant: Because I’m such a natural athlete, I’ve always been able to handle speed, especially in the earlier years of my career. I was always able to handle speed more than power. If it’s a speed guy I’m facing, cool. If it’s power, I have to hone in a bit more.
As I’ve gotten stronger and added weight onto my frame, I don't have to worry about speed or power anymore.
JM: Does Charles Grant consider himself to be agile in space, or a power blocker in a phone booth? What's your identity as an offensive lineman?
Charles Grant: Between those two, I would definitely say agile in space. I love blocking in space. I’m really good at it. With that said, I can deal with power in a phone booth as well. I have a great anchor. If a defender hits me with a bull rush, I can sit down and handle that.
JM: What was your favorite play to run in the playbook and why? Something you got excited about hearing in the huddle.
Charles Grant: We ran a lot of wide zone. Play-side, back-side, wide zone. That was probably my favorite. It could be interchangeable between the two of them [play side or back side] as well. I just love stretching guys at the point of attack and throwing them out of the club (laughs). I could climb to the second level where I could use my superior size to take on a linebacker.
JM: You must feel so confident in your ability to beat a defender to the spot in outside zone.
Charles Grant: Yeah, I definitely do. That’s my approach to pass protection as well. I try to get to a spot before the rusher does. I try to force them inside. I’m always trying to stay inside of them. If I can get to the point of attack before them, it can only go one of two ways.
JM: You had a ton of formal interviews at the NFL Combine. Have you completed any team visits or workouts since then, or do you have any of that stuff coming up?
Charles Grant: I have a very busy schedule. I believe I have six visits and two workouts coming up over the next few weeks. I’m visiting the Texans, Eagles, Ravens, Titans, Bengals, Falcons, and Raiders.
JM: There’s a ton of interest in you and it’s easy to see why. We've appreciated your time. This has been an outstanding conversation. What kind of impact is Charles Grant going to make at the next level?
Charles Grant: I’m coming in with the right attitude. I have a chip on my shoulder because I’m coming from a “smaller school.” I know people are questioning whether or not I can hang at the next level.
I’m coming in with that chip on my shoulder. I’m ready to prove myself at all costs. I’m very athletic. I know what I could bring to the table. I'm very physical. I’m bringing all of that to the next level. I'm gonna keep getting better.
