Ryan Grant

Grant’s workload was reduced last season, but the Packers’ offense was elite, and he became more efficient, so the final results were a big improvement over 2008’s. He’s not a flashy runner who makes defenders miss, but Grant has proven to be plenty durable since taking over lead back duties, and he’s become a reliable option in an offense that has the potential to be the best in the NFL. Grant isn’t thought of as a powerful back, but he converted six of his seven carries inside the three-yard line last year into touchdowns, the best percentage in the league. Grant is developing a reputation as a back who performs better toward the later part of the season, with 2009 being no exception — he scored six of his 11 touchdowns over the final four weeks. His mediocre production as a receiver limits his fantasy potential, but he’s a safe bet for 300 touches in an extremely potent offense. Moreover, the team’s offensive line improved as the season progressed, and the addition of Bryan Bulaga in the draft should help as well. Even as a mediocre talent, Grant is a safe pick as the featured back in Green Bay’s offense.

Despite finishing with the sixth most rushing yards in the NFC (1,203), Grant was a disappointment last year, as his YPC dropped from 5.1 in 2007 to 3.9 in 2008. Because he offers nothing as a receiver and also saw his touchdown total decrease to five, Grant needs a big rebound performance in 2009 to remain Green Bay’s feature back. A preseason hamstring injury could partially explain his slow start, but nothing can justify his struggles on the road (2.9 YPC). Grant doubled his season total in receptions over the final three games, catching nine balls for 75 yards over that span. If that’s a sign of things to come, it would be big news for his value. Grant is a one-cut and go runner who isn’t flashy, but he has speed to be a game-breaker, which wasn’t always evident last year as he dealt with a lingering sore hamstring. Grant struggles in goal-line situations, scoring on just two of his 10 carries there last season, making him an unacceptable 5-for-25 at the stripe over the past two years. While the sample size is much smaller, Brandon Jackson has the same conversion rate (1-for-4) over that span, so he’s not exactly forcing his way in as a replacement. Jackson did average 5.5 YPC last year and is a much better receiver, but he struggles as a blocker and is likely to receive most of his work on third downs. The Packers may have been 6-10 last year, but they outscored their opponents by 39 points, and their offense averaged the fifth most points per game (26.2). Aaron Rodgers made some mistakes, but with a 7.5 YPA and 28 touchdown passes, there’s every reason to believe scoring opportunities will abound.

Grant, who went undrafted, missed 2006 with a non-football injury and entered 2007 fourth on Green Bay’s depth chart, emerged as an elite running back over the second half of last season, rushing for 929 yards (second most in the NFL) and eight touchdowns from Week 8 on. He also set franchise records by running for 201 yards and three scores in the Divisional playoff win against Seattle. Despite seemingly coming out of nowhere, Grant has firmly established himself as the Packers' workhorse back. Coach Mike McCarthy believes Grant, who didn’t fully grasp Green Bay's playbook until halfway into the season, can become much more involved in the passing game with a full offseason of work in the team's program. A major concern surrounding Grant's 2008 outlook is the retirement of Brett Favre, who turned in one of the best seasons of his career last year. New starter Aaron Rodgers showed promise, getting 7.8 YPA in extremely limited work, but he's injury-prone and untested. The Packers offensive line is a very good run-blocking unit, and the team boasts an impressive receiving corps, so the rest of the pieces remain intact. With a young signal caller, the team should lean more on Grant and the ground game, as Green Bay ran just 39.4 percent of the time last year, ranking 25th in the league. Of course, defenses could also focus more on stopping the run, and if Rodgers stumbles or gets hurt again, the team could be in trouble.

Competing for the third-string RB job.