North Carolina cornerback Tony Grimes is one of the top prospects, regardless of position, as the college football season progresses and we look ahead to the 2023 NFL Draft. The 20-year-old junior made contributions as a freshman in 2020 before earning All-ACC honorable mention thanks to nine pass breakups the next season. Grimes has the pedigree (former five-star recruit) and physical attributes (6-foot, 195 pounds) to establish himself as a first-round talent this fall.
Below is a comprehensive draft profile for Grimes, including his high school and college accolades, scouting report and NFL prospect outlook.
Note: This profile will be updated as more information becomes available.
Background
- Age: 20
- Year: Redshirt Junior
- Height: 6-0
- Weight: 195
- Hometown: Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Interesting fact: After COVID cancelled the football season, Grimes skipped his senior year of high school and enrolled at North Carolina a year early
CBS prospect ranking
Position: No. 3 CB | Overall: No. 19
247Sports profile
High school: Princess Anne (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
Class: 2020
Composite Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0.9860)
- National: 28 | CB: 3 | Virginia: 1
High school accolades: Under Armour All-America Game selection, Class 5 Region A Defensive Player of the Year, Class 5 first-team all-state, two-time All-Tidewater (The Virginian-Pilot)
Check out Cam Smith’s full 247Sports profile, here. For his MaxPreps profile, click here.
College stats
|
2022 |
3 |
9 |
0.0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | 13 | 47 | 2.0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 12 | 14 | 1.5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
College Accolades
Honors
- 2021: All-ACC honorable mention
Notable statistics
- 2021: T-fifth in ACC with nine pass breakups
Initial scouting report
“Grimes was a highly touted prospect out of high school and actually enrolled a year early. He displays good feet at the line of scrimmage and has great top-end speed. When attempting to identify prospects capable of being man coverage cornerbacks in the NFL, the Virginia Beach native checks a lot of the boxes with size, speed and athleticism. His ball production has been limited, so being tested more often should paint a clearer picture of his abilities.” — CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Josh Edwards
