Despite Being So Small, Dolphins WR Jakeem Grant Plays A Giant-Sized Game
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The Miami Dolphins have one of the best collections of wide receivers in the NFL.
Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills are well-known among Dolphins fans and people around the league.
One Miami receiver that you might not know a lot about is Jakeem Grant. But you will.
Grant is making himself known as a dynamo both on and off the field, despite being one of the smallest players in the NFL.
"Most times I don't even tell people [I play in the NFL]," Grant told CBS4's Jim Berry.
At five-foot-six, Jakeem Grant is a small guy in a big man's game and to him, nothing could be better.
In his second season with the Dolphins, Grant is determined to take on a bigger role.
A 69-yard touchdown reception last week against the Philadelphia Eagles was Grant's way of proving he can catch passes in addition to returning kicks.
"Sometimes, one day I will go and focus only on just punt returns," he explained. "And then when I go to offense I just mainly focus on offense."
As a rookie, Grant made plays that were both dazzling and disturbing.
Four fumbles raised some red flags so Grant has become obsessed with being able to catch everything.
"If you can catch with one hand there's no doubt [that you can] catch it with two," Grant said. "So basically all I'm doing is trying to track every single ball all the way in."
Grant also followed the advice of other veterans to learn the fine points of being a better overall football player.
"I learned that from Kenny [Stills], Jarvis [Landry], all those guys," Grant explained. "Just asking them 'what helped you to slow the game down?' Just understanding and knowing what's about to happen before it happens."
The Dolphins hope that all of this hard work turns Grant into a small bundle of dynamite.
"Most guys don't know how to tackle me. They don't know what do to," he said. "They know that I'm short and I'm fast and I'm quick. They don't know if they can hit me low or that I can hit them high."
The more he confounds those tacklers, the more Grant this season can help the Dolphins and show that good things often come in small packages.
"People look at me and just be like 'this guy, there's no way he can play in the league,'" Grant said with a smile. "But that's motivation to other guys that are my size."
Grant is listed at 161 pounds, which might be generous.
He clearly has a fearless mentality and his elusiveness could strike fear in the hearts of Dolphins opponents.