By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
Midnight was fast approaching, and only a handful of picks remained in the third round of the NFL Draft. Surrounded by family and friends in a rented condo at Sandbridge Beach,
Charles Grant remained as patient as possible.
Which, given that his future was on the line, wasn't easy. But finally, with the Las Vegas Raiders about to make their first of two consecutive selections, his moment came just before Friday night turned into Saturday morning.
"I got a call," he said, "and I saw Las Vegas on the area code."
The Raiders, one of five teams to host Grant for a pre-draft private visit, were about to announce him as the 99th overall pick. It was the best-case scenario for Grant, who was seen as a borderline late Day 2/early Day 3 selection.
It's been quite a journey for a young man who didn't play football until his junior year of high school.
"Honestly, I can't even put it into words," said Grant, a consensus All-American left tackle who graduated in four years at William & Mary. "It was so amazing.
"My mom was going crazy, and my dad was very proud of me. It was an unbelievable moment."
Just after former Raiders offensive lineman Steve Wisniewski announced the pick from the podium on ESPN's telecast, Grant rose to accept hug after hug. He was already wearing a Raiders hat, which has a story behind it.
"My family is from San Diego, and a lot of them were die-hard Raider fans already," said Jackie Grant, Charles' mother. "His uncle had a Raiders hat, so that's what he put on."
The draft was held in Green Bay, Wisc., more than 1,000 miles Northwest of Sandbridge. But the celebration might have been audible at Lambeau Field.
"The house just erupted," said Kent Grant, Charles' father. "We were all so happy and proud of him. Even knowing it (from the phone call), it failed in comparison to hearing his name called at the draft by the Raiders. It was surreal."
Kent is a life-long Cowboys fan, and Jackie is partial to the Eagles. Now, they are proud members of Raider Nation.
Grant, who started 41 games at left tackle at William & Mary, was one of two linemen drafted by the Raiders to shore up a clear area of need. Texas Tech's Caleb Rogers, who is expected to play guard, was taken just before him with the 98th pick.
Grant was the second W&M lineman to be selected in the last three drafts. Colby Sorsdal was taken by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round (152nd overall) of the 2023 draft.
Grant became the earliest selection of a W&M player since 2009, when defensive back Derek Cox was taken as the 73rd pick.
Until his junior year of high school, Grant was strictly a wrestler. Two years later, he signed with a Division I football program. Five years after that, he's NFL bound. Talk about developing quickly.
"Charles was already athletic enough when he came here," W&M coach
Mike London said. "Then he develops by making decisions in how he trains and what he puts into his body. He surrounds himself with good people, and now he's taking advantage of all that.
"People talk about his sense of accomplishment, his sense of character, and he brought that with him from his mom and dad. And his work ethic has paid dividends beyond measure."
Next month, Grant will fly to Las Vegas for the Raiders' rookie minicamp. Most of his fellow participants will have dreamed about this as long as they can remember. For Grant, this has been a more recent aspiration.
"I'd say it was more of a goal than a dream," Grant said. "And it felt great to accomplish that goal. Now, it's time to set new goals and get back to work."
