Falcons S Richie Grant Made 'Lot of Year 2 Growth,' Says Arthur Smith

After a relatively quiet rookie season, Atlanta Falcons safety Richie Grant broke out in his second campaign - and appears to be a foundational piece for years to come.

When the Atlanta Falcons spent a top-40 pick on safety Richie Grant in the NFL Draft two years ago, many assumed he'd be an impact player early.

And yet, Grant's rookie season came and went without much of a splash. He saw action in all but one game but played only 25 percent on defensive snaps, largely working on special teams while occasionally rotating in at nickel corner out of necessity.

Now, after the conclusion of his second season, Grant's career is in a completely different spot ... and the impact expected of him has arrived.

The Falcons played 1,122 snaps on defense this season. Grant was on the field for all but five of those. He played every single snap from Week 6 onward.

Grant, 25, finished the season with 123 tackles, the second most on the team and fourth most among safeties league wide. He added seven passes defended, three tackles for loss, two interceptions and a blocked punt.

And perhaps best of all, Grant has grown into a legitimate leader on the backend of Atlanta's defense - and coach Arthur Smith is enthused with the progress he's seen.

"A lot of things," Smith said on where Grant's improved. "Recognizing certain route combinations. A lot of those reps and experience, there's so much stuff that happens pre-snap now, things that you want to put on safeties, those guys a lot of times are like quarterbacks back there. A lot of things Richie ... I've seen a lot of year two growth. Making plays on the ball, how physical he is at the line of scrimmage, a lot of that stuff.

"So, been pleased with his growth."

As Smith alluded to, Grant was particularly impressive in the box and working downhill towards the point of attack in run support. He also proved to be fairly effective as a blitzer, logging two hurries and a quarterback hit in just 11 attempts.

The next step for Grant comes in pass coverage. Of the 62 passes that went his way, 39 were completed (62.9 percent), and the former UCF Knight gave up 446 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterbacks had a rating of 87.2 when targeting him.

But in comparison to his rookie year, Grant took positive strides proportionally, as his completion percentage allowed improved by over six percent and the quarterback rating decreased by 16 percent.

At his best, Grant is an aggressive, explosive player who can give running backs fits in the alley. Putting him in these situations more often would only help Atlanta's defense - so how does it happen?

Grant's role may slightly change with a new defensive coordinator following the retirement of Dean Pees, but Smith has a vision for how he wants his team to look and knows that Grant fits that.

If the Falcons can add a true free safety this offseason with the ability to roam centerfield on the back end, it frees Grant to play more at the line and use his speed and physicality in the box, serving as a more traditional strong safety.

But regardless of his exact role, Grant proved himself in 2022, making the impact many expected from the start and becoming a legitimate building block in the secondary.

And that, in just one year, is "a lot of growth" and good reason for Smith to be "pleased."

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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