49ers Minicamp: Grant didn't mind when big brother was watching him

SANTA CLARA – When Larry Grant left Sacramento as a high school sophomore to live with his older brother in Georgia, he thought he would have it easy.

There would be no more parents and grandparents nagging him about grades and schoolwork. He would have all the television he could watch.

Grant, however, quickly discovered that LeSean Woods, 12 years Grant's senior and with two sons of his own, had other plans for his little brother.

"I thought I was going to paradise. I thought I had it easy," Grant said. "But as soon as school started, he straightened me out real fast. He almost stopped me from playing in a football game one week. He scared me straight. He took my phone, took away the TV, took all the privileges I had. All I did was study."

Grant spent three years in Georgia before moving back to Sacramento for the end of his senior year and graduating from Foothill High School. Today he credits Woods with giving him the fatherly guidance he needed.

Said Grant: "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be in this position today."

So it was only natural that Grant wanted Woods next to him last Sunday during the NFL draft. A group of family and friends watched from Grant's grandmother's home in Rancho Cordova, and Grant admits that the group had grown numb by the time the seventh round began.

At 2 p.m. the phone rang, and Grant learned that the 49ers – Grant's favorite team – had selected him. The pin-quiet home in Rancho Cordova erupted.

"My brother's head almost hit the ceiling," Grant said. "And he isn't but 5-10."

Like a lot of the 49ers' rookie class, Grant is spending a lot of time watching the veterans during the team's current minicamp. When he does see action, he plays the so-called "ted" inside linebacker position, which calls for him to take on fullbacks and pulling offensive linemen.

Grant is competing with veterans Jeff Ulbrich and Dontarrious Thomas for the starting role. At 235 pounds, Grant is the smallest of the trio, but 49ers coaches insist that he showed enough of a rough-and-tumble style at Ohio State that convinced them he can win the job.

"It doesn't matter what stature you have as long as you have that six-inch punch," said defensive coordinator Greg Manusky of Grant's ability to shed blockers. Manusky noted that Randall Godfrey, who is similar in size to Grant, played the same position when Manusky coached the San Diego Chargers.

And so far, Grant says he has felt comfortable with the 49ers. Although he was listed as an outside linebacker at Ohio State, he has experience at all three of the Buckeyes' linebacker spots and has no reservations about playing in the middle.

"That's all right with me," he said. "I like getting dirty."

About the writer:

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