DuBose Embraces Packers’ ‘No Block, No Rock’ Mentality

Second-year Packers receiver Grant DuBose has put himself in position to make the roster because of how he’s caught the ball in the passing game and blocked in the run game, two traits he showed while in college.

Green Bay Packers WR Grant DuBose caught five passes against the Browns in the first preseason game. / Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Some receivers are pretty boys. The Green Bay Packers’ receivers must do the dirty work.

“I heard a saying once, ‘No block, no rock.’ So, they all want the rock,” coach Matt LaFleur said this week.

Grant DuBose didn’t get the rock last year. The seventh-round pick missed too much time with a back injury to be a factor, so he spent his rookie season on the practice squad.

During this training camp, DuBose has been a standout by catching the rock and making the block. That continued against the Cleveland Browns in Saturday’s preseason game. Not only did he lead the team with five receptions and 66 receiving yards, he provided a couple of teach-tape blocks.

When AJ Dillon was stuffed on third-and-short, DuBose delivered a pancake block against veteran safety Rodney McLeod. Later, DuBose had one of the key blocks on Emanuel Wilson’s 5-yard touchdown run.

“It’s a mentality. You want to be the hammer and not the nail,” DuBose said this week. “You’re either going to deliver it or you’re going to take it. That’s the mentality going in there, and it’s just something you’ve got to flip a switch.”

DuBose started his road to the NFL at Division II Miles College. When COVID canceled the 2020 season, DuBose entered the transfer portal with a resume consisting of eight career receptions. He caught the eye of Charlotte’s new receivers coach, Perry Parks, during a short workout.

DuBose turned in seasons of 62 and 64 receptions. More than that, he showed a taste for blocking.

“That’s one of the things we talked about: core values, having a true block-first mentality and being physical at the point of attack and embracing that and loving it,” Parks told Packers On SI after the 2023 draft. “Grant really bought into that.

“We tried to be bullies. If you watch any of our tape, we wanted defenses to see that we were physical and we weren’t going to shy away from any contact. That’s the stamp that we had as a room, and Grant really personified that with the way we played the game. We blocked 40 and 50 yards down the field to spring touchdowns. Any point of attack, any crack block, we were going in there and putting our faces in there. He’s a physical guy. He’s going to put his hands on you and try to maul you at the point of attack.”

DuBose has added nuance with the Packers.

“You just focus on the details,” he said. “Out there at practice, practice can get a little physical sometimes. We’ve got a pretty competitive group of guys here in this locker room, so it can get physical. When you get those opportunities to go in there, put your hands and your hat on somebody, you just hone in on the details, do what you’ve been coached to do.

“Same thing, in practice, you kind of have to be a little more reserved just because you don’t want to hurt anybody. But on Sundays, you got a chance to put your hands on somebody else. So, you take advantage of it and you just play physical. Play fast and physical.”

The physicality against the Browns caught the attention of LaFleur, who showed clips of DuBose’s blocking to the entire team.

“He’s always had that physical mentality,” passing-game coordinator Jason Vrable said this week. “If you ever knew about his backstory, where he came from, he has a chip on his shoulder. He plays that way all the time.

“He has a good frame on him, he uses his hands and plays with good technique. There were a couple of blocks in that game if you watch the all-22 where he was putting DBs on the ground and finishing his blocks, so it was exciting to see that. Matt showed a couple to the team about, ‘This is the effort and standard that it takes to win and play here.’ So. he did a really, really good job.”

DuBose did a really good job as a receiver, too. He created five first downs, with four of those coming on third or fourth down.

With DuBose playing with style as well as substance, he’s put himself in position to grab the spot on the 53-man roster that eluded him last year. While the top four of Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks are locks, DuBose is in the thick of the competition with Malik Heath and Bo Melton for the final spot or two at receiver.

“Honestly, I didn’t want to be in the same spot I was last year,” DuBose said. “I came into this offseason, I wanted to put everything I had into my craft, and just keep developing, keep getting better, because, like I said, I didn’t want to be in the same position I was last year. I wanted to at least give myself a chance to make this squad. That was really just the mindset, don’t be stuck in the same place.”

The next steps will come this week in Denver, with the joint practice against the Broncos on Friday and the preseason game on Sunday.

DuBose knows that to earn a spot on the roster will require catching the rock and throwing more blocks. It’s the team-first approach that’s been embraced by the players up and down the receiver depth chart.

“We don’t use it a lot in the room, but we’ve heard it,” DuBose said. “If you don’t block, you don’t get the rock. We’re here and you just want to be there for your guys. You got free hitters out there on the field, you’re taking a hit off the ball-carrier. We get graded on them things in film, and you don’t want to have a minus for that, and you just want to take care of your teammates the best you can.”

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