This series was created a number of years ago in response to questions about why certain well-known prospects went unselected in NFL drafts. For these articles, I reach out to sources with NFL teams to find out why their organizations passed on drafting a given player, and/or, what were the reasons for other teams to pass on that prospect. The positive response to “Why Undrafted” and questions from readers about why prospects were drafted lower than the media expectations led us to create the parallel series “Why the Slide?”
Both series are back this year. Feel free to email me requests for Why the Slide? and Why Undrafted? at [email protected]. I can’t promise to get to all of them, but I will do my best and definitely will respond to the email.
During the 2020 college football season, the Florida Gators featured a dominant passing attack led by quarterback Kyle Trask, tight end Kyle Pitts, wide receiver Kadarius Toney and wide receiver Trevon Grimes. Grimes was the third option, but he still produced 38 receptions for 589 yards and nine touchdowns. In the SEC Championship game, Grimes got the better of Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II, the ninth-overall pick by the Broncos, for a long touchdown, and Grimes also played well against Georgia and its secondary filled with future NFL defensive backs. At 6-foot-4, 218 pounds, Grimes also has mismatch size for the NFL, so it was surprising when he went undrafted.
Team sources say Grimes was not drafted due to makeup concerns. There were worries among teams that Grimes doesn’t love football and is more interested in partying. Hence, many soured on him during the draft process.
After falling undrafted, Grimes signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, which is was a mixed blessing as a landing spot. On the positive side, the Eagles are desperate for some young wide receivers to emerge, as the positions is a huge weakness on their roster. They have used their last two first-round picks on the position – Jalen Reagor and DeVonta Smith -, so their starting trio is set with those two and veteran Greg Ward. Philadelphia, however, could use a big receiver to go with those smaller wideouts. On the negative side, Philadelphia has a lot of draft capital investmented in the backup receiving competition, including John Hightower, Quez Watkins and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. The Eagles also have other free agent competitors like Khalil Tate and Jhamon Ausbon.
It could be tough for Grimes to make the team, and he will have to star on special teams in training camp. Grimes’ secondary goal should be to earn a spot on the practice squad and try to ascend to the roster from there. Grimes will need to focus on football and take his job seriously for him to carve out a career in the NFL.
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