From the start of his Redskins tenure, wide receiver Ryan Grant impressed coaches and veteran teammates alike with his sharp route running, understanding of concepts and overall approach to the game.

In his first series of practices at rookie minicamp in May, Grant looked so smooth that head coach Jay Gruden remarked he "plays like a 10-year veteran already."

"Very, very excited to have Ryan [with] that ability," Gruden said at the time. "When we drafted him, the ability to be able move him around outside and inside I think is a huge benefit for us and him. He's going to be a very good football player."

Grant continued to draw rave reviews for his play during training camp and the preseason, as he hauled in a team-high 14 receptions for 165 yards and two touchdowns.

But with a talented wide receiver corps full of seasoned veterans and Pro-Bowl caliber talent, Grant was utilized mostly on special teams during the 2014, while recording seven receptions for 68 yards.

As he learned the NFL way, Grant called his first season a "great experience," but said he's eager to show he can really play.

"I learned a lot from veteran receivers, veteran players on this team, and next year I just hope to get better and come back better than ever," he said. "I just want to come back and show these coaches that I can play at this level and compete at a really high level and contribute to some wins."

At the top of the Redskins' depth chart during the season were Pierre Garçon and DeSean Jackson – two players that rank among the best at the position in the league.

While he studied their games, Grant also relied on 14-year veteran Santana Moss and wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard, a former player himself.

"It's been great just having guys like Santana Moss, Ike and Pierre and D-Jax," he said. "They've been doing it for so long, they pretty much know the ins and the outs. They have different techniques for different types of cornerbacks, so I've learned a bunch and I just hope to continue to learn from those guys as I develop as a good receiver."

Grant said he was going to give his body a rest during the first month or so of the offseason after his debut season.

After that, he's going to hit his playbook hard and get in extra work in the weight room.

"I think I just need to become more of a student of the game, spend more time in the film room watching film and watching veteran receivers and just other guys that I can learn from," Grant began when asked of offseason plans. "Then get in the weight room, get stronger and get with some speed coaches and get faster and get quicker and just improve my game overall."

RELATED LINKS:
-- Hawyard: 'You Need To Have Attitude'
-- Davis: 'You've Got To Wreak Havoc' 

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