DuBose Was ‘Special Find’ at Charlotte

Charlotte’s new receivers coach Perry Parks was looking for a bigger receiver who could make an impact. That’s when Grant DuBose, a seventh-round draft pick by the Packers, came in for a workout.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Perry Parks was in his first season as Charlotte’s receivers coach – his first season as a college coach altogether – and was looking to upgrade the group he had inherited.

“I was working out anybody to try to make my room better,” Parks, now the receivers coach at Coastal Carolina, told Packer Central recently. “I had a decent receiver room but we needed to get a lot better. The hunt was on to find a bigger-body receiver to not just add depth but come in and play for us and make an impact. As a first-year college coach, I didn’t want to fail. I wanted to find the right guy.”

He found that guy with Grant DuBose, a seventh-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL Draft.

“He was special, man,” Parks said. “He’s a special find and was special for Charlotte, and the rest is history, for sure.”

Coming out of Park Crossing High School in Montgomery, Ala., DuBose was underrecruited and landed at Division II Miles College. When the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID, DuBose entered the transfer portal with a resume consisting of eight receptions.

A childhood friend, James Foster, was a quarterback at Charlotte. Between Parks’ need for a receiver and Foster’s praise, DuBose got his shot.

“It’s crazy. He had sent me several DMs and messages about the opportunity,” Parks recalled. “It married up – one of his buddies, James Foster, another Alabama boy, vouched for him. He came and really knew he was special like the first little drill. We did a three-cone drill and a tight figure-eight, and he was just so explosive.

“We had several other workouts with P5 [Power Five conference] kids and just the sheer effort and intensity that he was doing those first two drills, I kind of knew this kid was different.”

DuBose ran a few routes and broke 4.50 in his 40. That’s all Parks needed to see.

“He nailed that workout,” he said. “It was real special to see. I’ve still got some videos from that day on my phone. I’ll never delete those.”

It wasn’t just the workout, though, that stood out to Parks. It was the person. Parks knew DuBose – who worked several jobs to pay the bills after leaving Miles – could make an impact on the field and be a good fit in the receiver room.

“Part of the equation was Grant being himself,” Parks said. “He could’ve been a good athlete but been a bad kid or arrogant. We might not have wanted to recruit him, you know? He came in here all smiles, was well-spoken. You could tell he had come from a great household and his mom and dad did a great job raising him. He’s a polite kid, great grades. It was a perfect storm. That kid that worked at Walmart and drove from Alabama to Charlotte to bet on himself, that’s the kid that got drafted.”

DuBose was tremendous. During his debut season of 2021, he caught 62 passes for 892 yards and six touchdowns.

After the season, Parks gave DuBose a list of things to work on, including short-area quickness and releases. In 2022, he caught 64 passes for 792 yards and nine touchdowns. While the numbers were similar, Parks said it was obvious on film that DuBose took the coach’s critiques to heart.

DuBose made a late decision to enter the draft, then impressed at the Senior Bowl. At 6-foot-2 3/8, he’s got a “huge catch radius,” Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said. With a 4.57 in the 40, DuBose was the last of 33 receivers selected and the 256th of 259 picks overall. That fact will put a chip on his shoulder, Parks thought.

“What happened in the draft with him going late to an organization that values guys who will come in and be blue-collar guys, it’s going to motivate him,” he said. “It’s the perfect situation for that kid. He’ll have success. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll make the team. I’m excited to watch him.”

Parks was thrilled for DuBose for another reason. Parks’ wife is from Mount Horeb, Wis., and is a “lifelong Cheesehead.” Together, they’ve gone to a few games at Lambeau Field, so Parks has a good feel for the Green Bay organization.

So, now that DuBose has made it to the NFL, why will he make it a career?

“He’ll stick because he loves special teams, he loves football, he’s a good person, good character-wise,” Parks said. “His work ethic is what separates him from everybody else. If he doesn’t get something, he’s going to find a way to figure it out. He’s not going to get distracted by any other things. He’s going to worry about how can Grant DuBose come to work and get better and add value to that organization.”

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