Kylen Granson

Kylen Granson
refer to caption
Granson with the Indianapolis Colts in 2022
No. 83 – Indianapolis Colts
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1998-03-27) March 27, 1998 (age 26)
DeMotte, Indiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school:Westlake
(Austin, Texas)
College:Rice (2016–2017)
SMU (2018–2020)
NFL draft:2021 / round: 4 / pick: 127
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-AAC (2020)
  • Second-team All-AAC (2019)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2024
Receptions:74
Receiving yards:825
Receiving touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Kylen Granson (born March 27, 1998) is an American professional football tight end for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Rice and SMU before being drafted by the Colts in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Early life

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Granson was born in DeMotte, Indiana, and grew up in Austin, Texas, where he attended Westlake High School. Granson was named second-team All-District 14-6A as a senior.[1] He was not heavily recruited and committed to play college football at Rice over an offer from Harvard.[2]

College career

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Granson began his collegiate career playing wide receiver for the Rice Owls. As a freshman he caught 33 passes for 381 yards and two touchdowns followed by 18 receptions for 241 yards in his sophomore season.[3] Granson left the program following the firing of Rice head coach David Bailiff and enrolled at Austin Community College, hoping to join the Texas Longhorns as a walk-on. Granson had a chance encounter with Bailiff on the University of Texas campus, who did not know that he had left Rice and began contacting college coaches on Granson's behalf. SMU coach Sonny Dykes offered Granson a spot as a walk-on.[2]

Granson sat out his first season at SMU per NCAA transfer rules and was awarded a scholarship.[2] As a redshirt junior, he caught 43 passes for 721 yards and nine touchdowns and was named second-team All-American Athletic Conference (AAC).[4] He was named first-team All-AAC after finishing his redshirt senior season with 35 receptions for 536 yards and five touchdowns.[5] Granson's 14 touchdown receptions set a new school record for tight ends.[6]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+12 in
(1.87 m)
241 lb
(109 kg)
32+58 in
(0.83 m)
9+38 in
(0.24 m)
4.63 s 1.61 s 2.62 s 4.40 s 6.93 s 36.5 in
(0.93 m)
10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)
16 reps
All values from Pro Day[7][8][9]

Granson was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round with the 127th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.[10] He signed his four-year rookie contract with Indianapolis on May 19, 2021.[11] As a rookie, Granson recorded 11 receptions for 106 yards in the 2021 season.[12]

2022 season

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Granson made his first start in Week 2 of the 2022 season against the Jaguars. He finished the 2022 season with 31 receptions for 302 yards.[13]

2023 season

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Granson scored his first NFL touchdown in September 2023 against the Houston Texans.[14] In the 2023 season, he made seven starts and appeared in 15 games. He finished with 30 receptions for 368 yards and one touchdown.[15]

2024 season

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Prior to the 2024 season, Granson announced that he would wear a Guardian Cap during the season to try to better protect himself from brain injuries. At the time, he was one of only two Colts players to commit to wearing the device, which other players refused to wear for aesthetic reasons.[16]

References

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  1. ^ Davis, Danny (October 12, 2016). "Rice hauls in another receiver from Westlake's senior class". Austin American-Statesman.
  2. ^ a b c Blum, Sam (December 9, 2020). "Without a team or chance: How SMU TE Kylen Granson went from community college student to NFL prospect in just over 2 years". The Dallas Morning News.
  3. ^ "Kylen Granson, TE, SMU - NFL Draft Player Profile". February 23, 2021.
  4. ^ Jones, Thomas (August 29, 2020). "That college try: Area football products excelling at next level". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Sayles, Damon (December 16, 2020). "Sonny Dykes: SMU TE Kylen Granson to turn pro". Rivals.com.
  6. ^ Newman, Kyle (April 19, 2021). "NFL Draft Preview: Florida's Kyle Pitts headlines deep, but not elite, tight end class". The Denver Post. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  7. ^ "Kylen Granson Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  8. ^ "Kylen Granson, Southern Methodist, FB, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  9. ^ "Kylen Granson 2021 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  10. ^ Erickson, Joel A. (May 2, 2021). "Insider: Rookie TE Kylen Granson's open-field ability can open up Colts playbook". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  11. ^ Ortenberg, Andrew (May 19, 2021). "NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/19/21". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  12. ^ "Kylen Granson 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  13. ^ "Kylen Granson 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  14. ^ "Kylen Granson scores first NFL touchdown against Houston Texans". www.colts.com. September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  15. ^ "Kylen Granson 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  16. ^ Boyd, James (August 31, 2024). "'No-brainer': Colts' Kylen Granson to wear Guardian Cap in regular season". The Athletic. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
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