 Grissom with the New England Patriots in 2015 | |||||||
| No. 92, 75, 96 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive end | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | (1992-06-04)June 4, 1992 (age 32) Hutchinson, Kansas, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 265 lb (120 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Hutchinson | ||||||
| College: | Oklahoma | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2015: 3rd round, 97th pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
Geneo Grissom (born June 4, 1992) is an American former professionalfootballdefensive end. He playedcollege football atthe University of Oklahoma. He was selected by theNew England Patriots in the third round of the2015 NFL draft.[1][2][3]
Afterredshirting in 2010 with the Sooners, Grissom played as a reservedefensive tackle in 2011 and 2012, picking up 9 totaltackles and onetackle for a loss.[4]
In 2013, Grissom saw his first career start come againstULM Warhawks in which he recorded two tackles. His firstinterception came on October 12 against theTexas Longhorns, which he returned 54 yards for atouchdown. In theSugar Bowl againstAlabama, Grissom recorded 2.5sacks,broke up a pass, and recovered twofumbles. He returned one of these fumbles for an eight-yard touchdown and had a total of 34 return yards.[4]
As a senior at Oklahoma in 2014, Grissom was named an honorable mention for the All-Big 12 Conference after recording 39 tackles and 3.5 sacks on the year.[5] Over his four seasons at Oklahoma, he registered 88 tackles, 8 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries and 2 interceptions while playing in 39 games with 12 starts.[6]
On November 10, 2014, it was announced that Grissom had accepted his invitation to play in the2015 Senior Bowl.[7] On January 24, 2015, Grissom appeared in theSenior Bowl forJacksonville JaguarsGus Bradley's South team and assisted on three tackles during their 34–13 loss.[8] He was one of 33 collegiatelinebackers to attend theNFL Scouting Combine inIndianapolis, Indiana. Grissom performed all of the combine drills and finished fifth among all linebackers in thevertical jump, sixth in thebench press, tied for 14th in the broad jump andthree-cone drill, and 20th in the40-yard dash.[9] On March 11, 2015, he participated at Oklahoma'spro day and opted to perform nearly all of the combine drills again. Unfortunately, he was unable to have a better performance, but was able to impress team representatives and scouts in positional drills. He also showed his versatility and athleticism by also taking part intight end drills at Oklahoma's pro day.New England Patriots' head coachBill Belichick stated that Grissom's tight end drills were, "As good as we saw all year."[10] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Grissom was projected to be a fifth or sixth round pick byNFL draft experts and scouts. he was ranked the 18th best outside linebacker prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.[11]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft3+3⁄8 in (1.91 m) | 262 lb (119 kg) | 33+3⁄8 in (0.85 m) | 10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) | 4.81 s | 1.65 s | 2.78 s | 4.38 s | 7.24 s | 37 in (0.94 m) | 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) | 20 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[12][13] | ||||||||||||
TheNew England Patriots selected Grissom in the third round (97th overall) of the2015 NFL draft. He was the 14thdefensive end selected in 2015.[14] Belichick also stated Grissom could possibly play interior defensive line positions.[15] On May 9, 2015, the Patriots signed Grissom to a four-year, $2.89 million contract that included asigning bonus of $581,948.[16][17]
Throughouttraining camp, he competed againstMichael Buchanan,Jake Bequette,Zach Moore, andXzavier Dickson.[18] He was named the third right defensive end on the Patriots'depth chart to begin the regular season, behindRob Ninkovich andJabaal Sheard.[19]
He made his professional regular season debut in the Patriots' season-opener against thePittsburgh Steelers and assisted on one tackle during their 28–21 victory. He made his first career tackle with teammateAlan Branch on Steelers' running backDeAngelo Williams after he ran for a six-yard gain in the first quarter.[20] On October 29, 2015, Grissom recorded a season-high two combined tackles as the Patriots routed theMiami Dolphins 36–7. On January 1, 2016, Grissom made one solo tackle and his first career sack on Dolphins' quarterbackRyan Tannehill in New England's 20–10 loss to the Dolphins. He was mainly used onspecial teams and as a reserve on defense his rookie season. Grissom finished the season with six combined tackles (three solo) and one sack in 14 games.[6] The Patriots finished the 2015 season atop theAFC East with a 12–4 record. Grissom was inactive throughout the playoffs as the Patriots went on to lose in theAFC Championship to the eventualSuper Bowl 50 Champions theDenver Broncos.[21]
He competed withChris Long,Trey Flowers, andFrank Kearse throughout training camp for a backup defensive end role.[22] On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Patriots as part of final roster cuts and was signed to thepractice squad the next day.[23][24] He was promoted to the active roster on October 15, 2016.[25] On November 27, 2016, Grissom assisted on two tackles during a 22–17 victory against theNew York Jets.
On January 14, 2017, he appeared in his first career playoff game during a 34–16 victory over theHouston Texans in theAFC Divisional round.
Grissom was released by the Patriots on September 2, 2017 and was signed to the practice squad the next day.[26][27] He was promoted to the active roster on September 22, 2017.[28] He was released by the Patriots on November 9, 2017 and was re-signed to the practice squad.[29][30] He was promoted back to the active roster on December 2, 2017.[31]
On November 6, 2018, Grissom was waived by the Patriots.[32]
On January 1, 2019, Grissom was signed by theIndianapolis Colts.[33]
On May 13, 2019, Grissom signed with theNew Orleans Saints.[34] He was released during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019.[35]
On July 20, 2015, Grissom married his college sweetheart Haley Eastham. They have a dog named Nyla. The couple appeared in theHouse Hunters episode "Wow Factor in Dallas", which premiered on January 28, 2021.[36]