Jermaine Grace shouldn't ring any bells. When the 2017 NFL Draft concluded, his name was not among the hundreds that were called in Philadelphia. He quickly caught on with the Atlanta Falcons, however, and hasn't looked back. For undrafted rookies, the climb to make an NFL roster can be a treacherous and sometimes insurmountable one. By all accounts, however, Grace could be on his way to reaching the top of the ladder.
Grace looking good in camp
CanesInSight owner Peter Aziz was the first to suggest that Grace was making good progress in camp (the linebacker played for the Miami Hurricanes in college).
He stated that Grace was receiving opportunities to take practice snaps with the starting unit. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sunday's practice ended with the Falcons rookie making a big play, grabbing an interception to close out the 11-on-11 run through.
Word out of #Falcons camp is that former #Canes LB Jermaine Grace looks very good and is getting some run with the first unit
— Peter Ariz (@PeterAriz) August 5, 2017
After the day, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn had high praise for the unknown entity. He claimed to be impressed by the speed Grace has shown and singled him out as a potential special teams player. He also expressed excitement about the fact that Grace would be learning under the tutelage of linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich.
Either way, the undrafted linebacker has officially been noticed by the head coach, which is never a bad sign.
Falcons linebacker depth
The Falcons are in an interesting spot at the linebacker position. Vic Beasley Jr. will be rushing from one side of the 3-4, while Duke Riley will be on the other. Deion Jones will be one of the linebackers in the middle.
Beyond that, the team is looking for more depth to shore up the position. Grace slots as an inside linebacker and could make a real challenge for a backup spot. He's buoyed by the suspension of cornerback Jalen Collins, which could endanger his roster spot.
In some circles, Grace was best known for a suspension in college - it had to do with accepting benefits.
He's also a bit small in comparison to other NFL linebackers. But he had a spectacular junior season in college and has a good amount of potential at the next level. Other than the normal issues that come with cutting down a roster to size, the Falcons have the incentive to take a chance on Grace. He'll be a cheap option to test out on special teams, and he'll be ready to step in and contribute on defense if injuries or circumstances call on him to do so during his rookie season in the league.
