FOXBORO, Mass. - Where does Geneo Grissom play? All over the joint. The Patriots third-round pick at No. 97, played defensive end, outside linebacker and defensive tackle at Oklahoma.
A player that many teams may have looked at and scratched their heads had the Patriots licking their lips.
The 6-3, 262-pounder was a front-seven utility guy for the Sooners, said Bill Belichick on Friday night. The 22-year-old played four seasons for the Sooners. His junior year was enlightening to the Patriots.
“In 2013 he played 3-4 defense (starting five at defensive end) … and they didn't have enough depth at defensive end so he played four-technique, actually 4i technique [inside shoulder of the tackle] in 2013 at 260 pounds so he was way undersized but he competed well,” said Bill Belichick. “They didn't knock him off the line of scrimmage. It wasn't like . . . He didn't look like a linebacker in there. You probably wouldn't think he was that light if you didn't know it.
“Then this year they had more depth on the defensive line and moved him to outside linebacker so both last year and this year on third down he played end and also bumped inside to an inside rusher position,” said Belichick. “He's a guy that would move down inside at times he was productive there. He's rushed inside, rushed outside. He's played anywhere from the end of the line five-technique, defensive end in a 4-3, outside linebacker in a 3-4.”
Over the past two seasons, Grissom had 79 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks over his final two seasons and was a particular beast against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl in 2013.