DuBose ‘Bet on Myself’ And Won

Receiver Grant DuBose worked his way into being a seventh-round draft pick by the Packers.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
May 8, 2023 12:33 PM EDT

In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Grant DuBose overcame plenty of adversity to get to the NFL. A seventh-round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers last week, he wasn’t going to let an injury that kept him out of the rookie camp for “precautionary” reasons provide much of a speedbump.

“I’m feeling good now. I was feeling good yesterday,” DuBose said at Packers rookie camp on Saturday. “It’s still early. Just want to make sure everything is fine before everything starts to ramp up for us going into the season.”

Growing up in the football hotbed of Montgomery, Ala., DuBose was overlooked by recruiters until getting an offer from Miles College, a Division II program located in Fairfield, Ala. He caught eight passes as a freshman in 2019. Then, COVID struck. The football season was canceled.

With the smallest of resumes, DuBose “bet on myself” and entered the transfer portal.

“Once you enter the transfer portal, you can go back but my scholarship was taken,” DuBose said. “It’s not like I entered the transfer portal as a four- or five-star (prospect) and I knew certain offers or I had 1,000 yards.

“I entered the transfer portal as a true freshman with 100 yards on the season. Just took that leap of faith, hoping that opportunity would come. My parents were very supportive of the decision because they knew what I wanted, and I appreciated it.”

So, DuBose got to work. Literally. He worked four jobs – not simultaneously – loading train cars at a manufacturing plant, bagging groceries at Walmart and at a commissary on a military base, and delivering dinners for DoorDash all while honing his football craft in hopes of being ready to answer the knock of opportunity.

A childhood friend, James Foster, was a backup quarterback at Charlotte and helped provide that opportunity by getting DuBose get a tryout. It wasn’t much of a tryout. He ran three routes: a hitch, a dig and a go. The coaches liked what they saw and DuBose was on the team.

DuBose’s parents “were really supportive of my decision to enter the transfer portal, for me to give up a full-ride scholarship and just jump out on faith,” he said. “They didn’t really give me too much push or backfire for me chasing my dreams.

“I kind of felt like I owed them in a way, in a sense. To give up a full scholarship for something that you don’t even know is going to come to place. During that time, I just wanted to work. That’s my backbone and my structure and my support system. I appreciate it and I’m grateful for it.”

DuBose’s leap of faith paid off. He caught 62 passes for 892 yards and six touchdowns in 2021 and 64 passes for 792 yards and nine touchdowns in 2022. He planned on returning to Charlotte for his final season, then woke up one morning and changed his mind.

The Packers picked him in the seventh round, the third of three receivers selected. He was the 256th of 259 players drafted overall. At that point, the undrafted free agent recruiting frenzy had hit full steam.

“It was an emotional three days,” DuBose said. “You just sit by the phone just waiting to get that phone call, and to get that phone call and be amongst my family it’s a day that I’ll never forget.

“When I got the phone call from Green Bay, I didn’t know they were going to draft me,” DuBose added. “They said, ‘Are you ready to be a Packer?’ And I said, ‘Y’all about to draft me?’ Because the undrafted free agent talks were already coming up at the time, and I didn’t know I was going to be drafted. I had to go into the room with my family and they were feeling the emotions and all of that. I’m glad I got to enjoy that moment with them.”

After DuBose was drafted, quarterback Jordan Love and receiver Christian Watson reached out to offer their congratulations.

DuBose said he knew he’d make it to the NFL. He might not have accomplished the goal without the support of his parents, who let a young man bet on himself. They’ll be at the forefront of his mind when he puts pen to paper on what will be a four-year contract worth $3.92 million, a deal that will include a signing bonus of almost $78,000.

“Really, just want to make sure my family’s all right,” he said. “My mom and my dad put in a lot of time, a lot of hours, countless support. If they’re all right, I’m all right. I’m in Green Bay. It’s pretty simple out here. Maybe just get me a spot and a car, and I’ll be all right.”