Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett is the football equivalent of a brick wall. He was almost named Super Bowl MVP in 2017; then Kyle Shanahan happened. In 2017 he earned a Pro Football Focus grade of 87.1, 14th among interior defensive linemen. (That makes him “high quality,” according to their metrics, one step down from “elite” and one step up from “above-average.”) He also racked up 39 QB pressure, 15th best in the league. PFF named him the NFL’s 84th best player. In short, he’s a beast.
And yet three years ago Garrett was just an “undersized” NFL prospect.