Reasons for picking Grady Jarrett- A popular quote in society is “Size isn’t everything.” While that is accepted in many aspects of life, physical intangibles are the first thing that most professional scouts see, and it is how they judge whether they think a player can make it in the NFL, and how early they are selected in the Draft. For much of his time playing football, Grady Jarrett was thought of as undersized- Standing at barely 6 feet, he was only a three-star recruit coming out of high school, earning a scholarship to Clemson only after impressing Dabo Swinney to the point that he insisted the program make room for Jarrett. Nevertheless, Jarrett still faced an uphill battle fighting for playing time on Clemson’s talented defensive line, and he played very little as a freshman. He contributed more as a sophomore, starting in 11 games and finishing 3rd on the team in tackles for loss (8.5) and being named Clemson’s co-defensive player of the year by the coaching staff. He would improve his stats over the next two seasons and was named a team captain in 2014, the same year he earned First-team All-ACC honors (though he was overshadowed by teammate and ACC Defensive Player of the Year Vic Beasley). However, NFL scouts still expressed concern over Jarrett’s size (6’1, 304 pounds) and whether he could succeed as an interior defensive lineman in the pros. Jarrett’s experience at the 2015 NFL Draft ended up being one of the most epic and bittersweet ever experienced by a player: He would spent the first two days of the Draft sitting at home waiting in vain to be picked, only to see his house catch on fire and suffer significant damage. After falling all the way to the 5th round, Jarrett was finally selected by the Atlanta Falcons, with his father, Falcons Ring of Honor member Jessie Tuggle, helping to announce the pick. Falcons owner Arthur Blank then immediately sent Jarrett a collection of Falcons gear to replace his clothing collection.
As a rookie, Jarrett did not win a starting spot on the Falcons defensive line, but still managed to appear in 15 games and had a solid December, recording his first NFL sack and getting his only start of the season. 2016 would be his breakout year, as Jarrett started 14 games and put up 48 tackles and 3 sacks as he helped the Falcons reach Super Bowl LI. Though the game would end in heartbreak for the Falcons, Jarrett would tie a Super Bowl record by sacking Tom Brady 3 times. Jarrett continued to improve his statistics each year, and his 91.0 Pro Football Focus grade in 2018 was the best of any Falcons defender, along with the 4th-highest graded defensive lineman who played more than 400 snaps. Following the 2018 season, the Falcons placed the franchise tag on Jarrett, and he accepted a 1-year, $15.2 million deal. He later agreed to a 4-year, $68 million contract extension, with $38 million in guaranteed money, and responded by having his best season yet, leading the Falcons in tackles for loss (12) and quarterback hits (16) and finishing second in sacks (7.5) while making his first Pro Bowl. Despite playing on a poor defense, Jarrett would make the Pro Bowl again in 2020 after leading the Falcons in quarterback hits (21).
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