HUTCHINSON, Kan. — After his performance at the NFL Combine, several teams are looking at Geneo Grissom. The Broncos, Browns, Rams and Chargers are on the short list of teams interested in the former Hutch High Salthawk and Oklahoma Sooner. With his rating, any team could feasibly be in the hunt for not just a defender, but perhaps a special teams player looking to gain experience in The League.
“All I need is a shot,” Grissom said. “I treat it as the opportunity to do what I’ve always wanted to do.” What Geneo will do in The League is still in question. He could be used at the defensive end position or even in a linebacker spot.
“I’ll play whatever the team needs me to play. If I need to gain weight and play the end, I don’t have a problem with doing that. If I need to drop a couple of pounds and pick my hand out of the dirt, that’s fine as well,” Grissom said.
Some NFL scouts fear Grissom can’t bend and trim the edge as a pass rusher. There is also concern that he lacks agility and desired change of direction. Grissom knows the critics are out there, so he’s in there doing something about it — “there” meaning the gym. He’s staying in the gym doing constant footwork drills to improve.
“Anything is possible, you just got to have the desire to better it or change it.”
Grissom could be the first Hutch High Salthawk ever taken in The Draft. However, the honor could also go to former teammate Ben Heeney. The two shared the same field in high school as Salthawks, then as rivals in the Big 12. Grissom donned the crimson and cream in college at Oklahoma while Heeney sported a different crimson — the color of crimson that goes with the blue at the University of Kansas.
“If he goes first, I’ll be the first one to give him a call and if I go first, I’m sure he’ll be the first one to give me a call,” Grissom said. “I’m proud to know I got to play with him and playing against him was awesome.”
When The Draft starts, Geneo can be found at the Atrium Hotel & Conference Center where he has a huge Draft Party planned. Grissom says everybody is invited and there will be plenty of food. Entry to the party is only $40.
The next few days should prove exciting for Geneo Grissom. He is anxious not knowing where he will land, yet eager to get started on the next chapter of his life that will likely include playing at a level most can only dream about.
No matter where or when he is taken, Geneo Grissom knows one thing: “The Draft doesn’t determine what you do on the field.”
