By JUSTIN A.
RICE
The State News
No one at Beaner’s Gourmet Coffee recognized him as he sipped an
Orange Brain Freeze smoothie that matched his orange American Eagle
T-shirt.
His gold chain, with a tiny gold football dangling at the end,
didn’t give him away either. But while electrical engineering senior
Tony Grant is trying to graduate like many of the students at the
coffeehouse, 270 W. Grand River Ave., last year’s Spartan long
snapper hopes to be signed in this weekend’s NFL Draft at New York’s
Madison Square Garden.
Grant, 23, who will watch the draft in East Lansing with his
friends and family, said the experience has been overwhelming.
“It’s really weird,” Grant said. “Agents were picking me up in
limousines, I went to L.A. and stayed on Sunset Boulevard right on
the strip there. It’s just so surreal I was shocked, I didn’t know
what was going on.
“It’s weird to have an agent, but I’m getting used to it.”
Even though he may play in the NFL, Grant said it’s
understandable if he doesn’t get mobbed like former tailback T.J.
Duckett, the Spartans’ top prospect in this weekend’s draft.
“It’s not like the quarterback, there’s no glory in it at all,”
Grant said. “No one cares about the long snapper unless something
bad happens. It’s actually kind of a goofy position if you think
about what you’re doing. It’s probably why a lot of people don’t do
it.
“It’s crazy, but it actually could be a ticket.”
The Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens, Washington Redskins,
Minnesota Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers all
have come to campus to see Grant work out. He’s also talked to the
Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills.
Grant’s agent Kevin Gold said if he doesn’t get picked in the
final round by Washington, he could be signed as a free agent on
Sunday night.
“As the seventh round comes to an end, teams call looking to sign
players,” said Gold, a friend of the Redskins’ special teams coach.
“If I had a crystal ball, I would hope Washington would take him,
but if not, there’s some other teams interested in picking him up as
a free agent.”
Gold represents long snappers exclusively, including three
already in the NFL. He said many people project Grant as one of the
top three snappers eligible for this year’s draft.
“Teams look for guys who can get the ball back quick and
accurate, meaning in the same location with a tight spiral in under
.72 or .73 seconds, and a guy who can also block and provide
coverage down field,” Gold said.
“A lot of guys snap the ball and then they don’t get down field
quick enough. I think he does have pretty good ability to get down
field and cover, plus he’s a smart kid and that always helps.”
Grant’s roommate and best friend, packaging senior Joel Mesman,
played for MSU for two years before a career-ending knee injury.
“I’m already nervous as I think about it,” Mesman said. “He’s my
best friend, it would be great. I’d probably move out there with
him. I’d be very proud.”
But Grant doesn’t try to lay to rest stereotypes about long
snappers’ lack of athletic ability.
“(MSU head) Coach (Bobby) Williams called me the worst athlete on
the team,” Grant said. “There’s just not a whole lot involved in it.
It’s no joke, all they really tell me to do is snap. I obviously
can’t be immobile. I have to be able to snap, I have to be quick
with my feet and get back to block.”
Grant isn’t only being courted by NFL teams. He turned down a job
with General Motors Corp. last semester because he knew he would be
working on football. He’s also been interviewing across the country,
including at a company in Washington, D.C.
“I’ve made the mistake earlier of telling people I may be going
to play football, and they just wax me off their list no matter what
my credentials are,” Grant said. “So these last two, I told them I
have things going with other companies. The NFL is just another
company.
“Coach Williams taught me that trick. He said, ‘You don’t have to
tell them that, just tell them you have an interview with another
company.’ That’s what it is I guess, it’s not like I’m lying to them
because It’s not a for sure thing by any stretch of the imagination.
I don’t know why they do that, but they have to look out for their
best interest, too, I guess.”
The electrical engineering graduate school at MSU is waiting to
see if Grant is drafted before they admit him. He carries a 3.45
grade-point average and is president of an electrical engineering
students’ honors society.
Even though Grant has other options to fall back on, his heart
and mind are set on the NFL.
“I’ll be extremely disappointed,” Grant said. “I just want to get
a foot in the door because I think I can work hard.
“I didn’t go through all this for nothing. I’ve been working
hard. Ever since I knew that I had a shot, it has been my main
focus.
