What Scouts Said About Grant DuBose

The Packers selected Charlotte wide receiver Grant DuBose with pick 256 in the 2023 NFL Draft. Here’s what the experts said about DuBose during the pre-draft process.

Strengths

Dane Brugler, The Athletic — Good-sized athlete with functional length ... disguises his route breaks before making strong angle cuts off his plant foot ... fluid mover as a route runner and at the catch point ... above-average body control to make smooth adjustments on the football ... battles back against physical coverage and exerts ownership over the catch point ... has some double catches but frames the ball naturally, making drops infrequent ... uses his contact balance and toughness to battle for extra yardage after the catch ... added punt return duties in 2022, averaging 8.4 yards per return (9/76/0) ... also collected tackles on punt coverage ... set the single-season school record for touchdown catches (nine) in 2022.

Draft Network — NFL size. Ball skills. Competitiveness. Route-running. Best football ahead of him.

Tony Pauline, Pro Football Network — Nice-sized receiver with long arms, big hands, and a dependable game. Sells routes, plays with balance as well as body control, and is very smooth. Natural catching the ball, adjusts to the errant throw, and takes a heavy hit, but holds on to the pass. Comes back to the quarterback and works to make himself an available target. Consistently catches the ball with his hands and snatches the pass out of the air away from his frame. Uses his large frame to shield away defenders, displays eye/hand coordination, and gives effort running after the catch. Effective downfield blocker.

Lance Zerlein, NFL.com — Good spatial recognition and route adjustments against zone. Natural ability to snap off routes at tight angles. Makes tough catches in the middle of traffic. Above-average late adjustments on 50/50 balls. Quick transitions from catch to run.

Weaknesses

Dane Brugler, The Athletic — Timed speed and play speed are both average at best ... doesn’t have the route acceleration to easily get on top of coverage ... wasn’t an explosive play creator in college (only one catch of more than 30 yards in 2022) ... needs to adopt more efficient techniques to elude the jam ... did a nice job with a basic route tree but will need to add branches in the NFL ... crowded catch points resulted in too many interceptions when he was targeted ... RAC skills were solid in college but will be non-threatening to NFL defenses ... minimal experience working out of the slot.

Draft Network — Struggled versus tight man. Not elite speed. Not elite separator.

Tony Pauline, Pro Football Network — Does not show a burst. Plays to one speed and isn’t a vertical threat. Marginal run-after-the-catch ability.

Lance Zerlein, NFL.com — Lost battles against South Carolina’s pressing corners. Lacks variety in his release to slide by press. Below-average deep speed and separation burst. Will need to pick up pace as an NFL route runner. Sees an unusually high number of catch tries contested.

Overall

Dane Brugler, The Athletic — A two-year starter at Charlotte, DuBose was a perimeter receiver in former offensive coordinator Mark Carney’s balanced scheme. After his career was in limbo during the pandemic, he found a home in Charlotte and led the 49ers in receiving both of his seasons with the program (only the fourth player in school history to surpass 1,500 career receiving yards). DuBose owns a good-sized frame and plays even bigger with his natural ball skills and mid-air adjustments, regardless of the coverage. But even with hesitation routes or double moves, he will struggle to create early or vertical spacing against NFL-level cornerbacks. Overall, DuBose plays with the body fluidity and catch-point talent that increase his chances of finding a permanent home in the NFL, although he has work to do to be considered more than just a jump-ball weapon or zone beater. He has rotational value as an NFL rookie.

Draft Network — For DuBose to separate himself as a top dog in this class, he’ll need to showcase his linear speed as well as improve as a separator against tight man coverage. All in all, you won’t go wrong drafting DuBose. Finding guys that play the game like he does, as well as with his level of talent, are very rare and will serve his next team well. 

Tony Pauline, Pro Football Network — DuBose was a productive wideout the past two seasons at Charlotte and performed well during Senior Bowl practices. He’s a prototypical possession wideout who offers possibilities as a fifth receiver who primarily runs underneath routes.

Lance Zerlein, Pro Football Network — Raw receiving prospect with just two years of major college experience under his belt. DuBose possesses NFL size with an expansive catch radius. He’s talented at winning fade routes and jump balls, but he struggles to win in the early stages of the route against press and tight man coverage. DuBose is still in the learning stages but already displays some route talent. A lack of separation quickness could make his battle for a roster spot more challenging.

Where Grant DuBose ranked on evaluators’ big boards

Pro Football Focus — 179

NFL Mock Draft Database Consensus Big Board — 213

Todd McShay, ESPN — 276

The 33rd Team — 301