From Door Dashes to Catching Passes

With the 2023 NFL Draft drawing to a conclusion, there is a sensation being felt in Titletown for the first time in over a decade—uncertainty. Uncertainty at the quarterback position. Uncertainty on Special Teams (this isn’t new for Green Bay—queue multiple playoff collapses). And last, but undeniably not least, uncertainty at this young team’s path— “rebuild or reload”? However, you can put those uncertainties aside as there is at least one certainty for the Packers coming out of the draft—a spectacle that breeds lofty expectations and a lot of questions—rookie wide receiver Grant Dubose has defied the odds.

Wait a second… a 7th round Wide Receiver that was picked 256th out of 259th trying to make a roster that touts second-year standouts Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, four pass-catchers selected before him including three within rounds 1-3, and limited flexibility as the Pack are almost guaranteed to carry 3 quarterbacks and at least 3 running backs has defied the odds and dare I say won? In short—yes.

Grant Dubose is a winner no matter what happens after the dreaded final cuts where many dreams are made, but even more are slashed on August 29, 2023. How so? Well let’s take a step back and look at Grant’s humble start at little known Fairfield, Alabama’s Division II Miles College.

Stop me if you have heard this story before, “Lightly-recruited standout puts up historical numbers at small school receives attention and transfers to a Power 5” …well this is not that fairy tale ending. Grant could barely get his 6’3 200 LB frame on the field for the Golden Bears compiling only 8 catches for 104 yards and one touchdown in his freshman year. But luck struck in the form of a… Pandemic—huh?

2020 ushered in the COVID-19 Pandemic and canceled the Miles College football season. This is where most of the population would—and did—fold to the challenge, but not Dubose. Dubose showed his tenacity and threw a Hail Mary. Putting all his chips into the pot, Dubose entered the transfer portal with little to no tape and production, but unparalleled work ethic. Work ethic that shone in the four jobs that he held all while training for his next opportunity on the gridiron in that pandemic-cancelled year—bagging groceries at Walmart and a commissary on a military base, loading train cars at a manufacturing plant, and delivering meals for Door Dash.

And as is often said, “If you have the talent, they will find you”. The “they” in this scenario would be the American Athletic Conference’s Charlotte 49ers. More specifically, their backup quarterback, James Foster—who also happened to be the childhood best friend of Dubose in Montgomery, Alabama. Foster got Dubose a try out and after only running a hitch, a dig, and a go route, Dubose was heading to the Queen City.

Fast forward to 2023…after 24 games suiting up for the 49ers and over 1600 yards on 126 receptions with 15 touchdowns, Dubose chose to bet on himself again by foregoing his last collegiate season to enter the NFL Draft. From the practice fields of Miles college to having your name called on the biggest stage in America sports—a dream come true for Dubose. But that dream looked to be in jeopardy as round-after-round passed and the undrafted free agency craze was in full-swing on day three of the draft.

And then, Dubose’s phone rang; it was the Packer’s front office letting him know he was coming to Green Bay. This phone call was soon followed by contact from none other than quarterback Jordan Love and fellow wide receiver Christian Watson—a far cry from the checkout lanes of Walmart.

Betting on yourself once—let alone twice—to reach the pinnacle of your profession is an audacious gamble. Yet, before pen hit paper on Dubose’s four-year contract worth $3.92 million; before Dubose sees his name on a final 53-man roster (or doesn’t); and before Dubose is running routes across the middle in the Green and Yellow, he bet on himself. He defied the odds. He is a winner.