2025 NFL Draft interview: William & Mary OT Charles Grant

WCG’s lead draft analyst speaks with one of the top FCS players in the 2025 NFL Draft.

As a two-time first-team FCS All-American, William & Mary offensive tackle Charles Grant is as accomplished as they come heading into the 2025 NFL Draft.

Grant started off as a 240-pound recruit in high school and turned into one of the best football players at the FCS level. He started for three seasons for the Tribe, and after a tremendous collegiate career, he projects as one of the top small-school prospects in the upcoming draft class.

Windy City Gridiron spoke to Grant about his Senior Bowl invitation, his athleticism and how it translates to the offensive tackle position, and more.

JI: You were the first player invited to the 2025 Senior Bowl. What did that means to not only get that invite as an FCS guy, but also to be the first invite of the entire class?

CG: It meant a lot. It was really a special moment. I had my parents out there with me, they surprised me there, and then like seeing the team come together to support me and celebrate me, as well, it really meant a lot. I always say this: no matter what school you’re coming from, if you can play, you can play, and they’ll find you.

JI: You didn’t get to play in the Senior Bowl due to an injury near the end of the year. How’s recovery going?

CG: It’s going good. I’m basically pretty much almost 100%. I’ll definitely get to the Combine, and I’m looking forward to showing off my athletic ability at the Combine.

JI: You’ve got that high school wrestling background, which I love. How does that help you along the offensive line?

CG: I’d say it told me what hard work was. Going into college, I used to compare my wrestling workouts to what I was doing at school, and I was like, “alright, I used to be able to do all these wrestling workouts for three plus hours. If I can get through this, I can pretty much get through any of these workouts.” It’s just the mentality that I can persevere and strive during some hard workouts and hard times. It [also] just gave me good body leverage. When playing football, I’m pretty much always able to stay upright in terms of, even if someone tries to pull me down. I can keep my balance and keep my feet under me, and I’m able to recover.

It also taught me good natural body strength. There’s a couple of times I know guys that might lift more than me, we’re going against each other, and they’re like, “oh, dang bro, you’re strong.” I’m getting strong in the weight room, for sure, but even when I didn’t have that natural weight room strength, I had that natural body strength. I could make up for it. Then, I guess that’s where I got my athleticism from, as well....