Tag: Kylen Granson

The Senior Bowl is one of the most highly-anticipated events of the pre-draft process.

For some players, the game gives them the chance to solidify their status as potential first-round picks. For others, it can help them prove that they belong on an NFL roster.

For SMU tight end Kylen Granson, it serves as his opportunity to put his work up against some of the top defenders in the nation. He will have the chance to showcase his athletic ability, his polished route running, and how he has improved as a blocker since switching over from wide receiver since transferring from Rice after the 2017 season.

A well-rounded player and a well-rounded man off the field, Granson spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his style of play, his philanthropic work, and more.

JI: Congratulations on being invited to the Senior Bowl. What does that invitation mean to you?

KG: Thank you. What the Senior Bowl means is that people are seeing what I’ve been doing. All my hard work, all the things I’ve been doing at SMU haven’t been going unnoticed. That’s what it tells me.

JI: Your transition from wide receiver to tight end has been a successful one. What do you think has been the hardest part of making that switch?

KG: I had done a bit of that work in high school, that [wide receiver-tight end] hybrid stuff. I’d say being a hands-down, true tight end was probably the thing that took me the most amount of time, but it really wasn’t that hard of a transition. I’d say that was the one thing.

JI: One thing that shows up on tape is your willingness to get physical at the point of attack as a blocker. What goes into developing that mindset, when you may not have had as much blocking experience before your transition?

KG: You got to get in there in do it. You got to get the dirty yards. You got to hang out with your [offensive] linemen (laughs). You got to get into that grindy, dirty yard mindset of ‘hey, [we can make the plays] sometimes, but other times, we got to make it all about [the running back]’. Somebody’s going to be there, and you just got to hit him.

JI: In your move to tight end, has there been a learning curve adjusting to a tight end route tree, or has your experience as a wide receiver provided for a seamless transition?

KG: They’re translatable. The only difference is, you got your hand in the dirt. But I’d say it’s pretty much the same. You run the same routes at tight end as you do at outside receiver.

JI: You’ve been surrounded by a ton of talented players at SMU, working with weapons like James Proche and Reggie Roberson Jr., and catching passes from Shane Buechele. How has that culture in the program been molded with such a dynamic offense?

KG: It’s a culture of success. We pride ourselves on being able to do the little things right, 100 percent of the time. I believe the reason we’re so efficient as an offense is because you got a bunch of older guys, and you got a bunch of younger guys, and we’re all coming together and we’re stepping up to the plate and just holding ourselves to a higher standard every week, no matter who the opponent is.

JI: This year’s obviously been played under strange circumstances with COVID-19 breakouts canceling games. How did you and your teammates adjust to this uncertainty over the course of the year?

KG: We take it week to week, every week. Somebody’s on that schedule, we’re focusing on that week. If it gets canceled, it gets canceled. We’re onto the next one. Really, it’s made us [focus on] the here and the now and not worrying about games down the road and the future because we can’t control any of that, so we just control what we control. We control our mindset of that day, on that practice, for that week, for that team.

JI: What would you think is the most important trait to succeed at the tight end position?

KG: You’ve got to be smart, man. There’s so many things you have to know, both run game-wise, pass-wise, both pass blocking, run blocking. You got to know, ‘alright, with this look, I’m going to block this way. With this look, I’m going to block a different way. On this route, I got to see this’. You have to know [how to play] receiver, you have to know [how to play] lineman. You have to know a little bit of running back. It’s really a three, four position position all rolled into one. You got to have that mental.

JI: You guys are really jacks-of-all-trades out there.

KG: Yup. Jack of all, master of some.

JI: What NFL players do you like to model your game after?

KG: Any tight end that is somewhat of a hybrid – somewhat like me – who both runs a lot of routes and also puts their hand in the dirt, that’s who I look at. I look at everybody. I really don’t have one set role model to go off of.

JI: How do you like to spend your free time outside of football?

KG: Outside of football, if I’m not reading a book or if I’m not relaxing playing video games, I’m probably asleep (laughs). I’m either reading, playing games, doing some type of homework, football-related activity, and if it’s not that, I’m either eating or I’m sleeping.

JI: What’s your favorite genre of book that you like to dive into?

KG: Recently, I just got into fantasy again. I found The Wheel of Time books. That’s like a 13-book series. But I’ve also gotten into my historical fictions – those are good – traditional fantasy. Really, if you put it in front of me, I’m probably going to read it. I definitely like my history, mysteries, fantasies, stuff like that.

JI: What type of video games do you like to play?

KG: I just made the switch to PC, so I actually bought my own computer. I was an Xbox guy – I was an Xbox kid growing up – although I also had the old-school PlayStation 1, with the little pop-up, the little button. I got my Xbox now, I’ve got a Switch, and I got my PC, so really, I’m a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to video games, as well.

JI: Let’s say I’m an NFL general manager. What would I be getting if I drafted you to my team?

KG: You get an SMU graduate, so someone who’s pretty smart, you know? Someone who is doing active things with his community. I don’t know if you know, but I got my KG’s Kids, it’s like a book club me and my mom are running. It’s helping out underprivileged kids, kids who struggle with reading, really, it helps them get access to books and resources and opportunities that revolved around that.

A lot of my success, I attribute to my reading, because I used to read all the time when I was a kid because I was forced to (laughs). Whenever I was playing video games too much, [my mom] was like, ‘alright, for every minute you read, you get a minute of video games’. So I would read for two hours, and I would play video games for two hours. Eventually, I just got to reading. I stopped playing video games altogether. I got swept up in it.

Reading’s done a lot for me, so as a part of my [giving] back, I’m really focused on giving younger kids, underprivileged kids, minorities involved in reading, because it’s done a lot for me, and I feel like it will do a lot for them, as well.

So you get someone who’s going to give back, someone who’s going to be where they’re supposed to be. And I believe I’m a pretty good teammate when it comes down to it, so I feel like I’d be a pretty good match wherever I end up.

JI: How important is it for a football player, especially playing at such a high level, to take on that role of a community leader?

KG: It’s huge. You are on an elevated platform. Everyone knows it, and everyone sees it. Whenever you’re out there, catching passes and doing everything, they also keep up with you off the field, so I think it’s important that your on-the-field activities are just as important as what you do off the field. It’s definitely a huge thing for you to be a community leader and give back.

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