NFL Draft Prospect Spotlight: Michigan DL Kenneth Grant
Kenneth Grant is one of the biggest names at DL entering the 2025 NFL draft, where he figures to be a mid-to-late first round pick.
Over the past few seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers have relied heavily on the likes of Larry Ogunjobi and Montravius Adams to be differencemakers in the IDL, and those guys haven’t done enough to feel good about that group heading into 2025. Those two are due over $13M between the two of them this coming season ($10M+ for Ogunjobi and $3M+ for Adams), and based on the lack of production between the two in 2024, it’s not surprising to see yinzers far and wide speculating that the Steelers might continue to build upon their defensive line; especially after watching the Eagles d-line dismantle the Chiefs in the Super Bowl the other day.
The Steelers have selected at least one defensive lineman in each draft for roughly the last 10 years, but the only time I can recall that they reached early in the draft for a high-end prospect was when they selected Keeanu Benton in the 2nd round of the 2023 draft. Even though Benton had a relatively quiet 2024 season, I still feel good about the trajectory of his career, and I think we can expect a significant leap from him in 2025; especially if we can find someone in the draft (or free agency) to give us high-level snaps at nose tackle.
I have to acknowledge that there are some SERIOUS holes all over this Steelers team, most notably at WR, QB, RB, and CB. With that being said, I don’t think the Steelers will select a defensive lineman in the first round of this year’s draft because of the (presumably) negative reaction that would follow from the fanbase. There are a couple guys, though, that I think could come in pretty quickly and play significant IDL snaps for us, and one of those guys is Kenneth Grant from the University of Michigan.
Kenneth Grant was born in Merrillville, Indiana on October 27, 2003. He’ll be 21 years old, about to turn 22, when the 2025 season kicks off. Where he was born isn’t necessarily a big deal, but I’ve been to Steeler games in December, and that shit kinda sucks. So, I’m always interested in where guys played High School and College ball, and I don’t anticipate the elements being an issue for Kenneth Grant at any point.
Grant’s measurables are out of this world. At 6’3 and 340+ lbs., you would expect him to be the slowest guy on the field at any given point, but he’s rumored to run a 4.8 40-yard dash. We’ll see if that’s true at the NFL draft combine in a couple weeks, but the film supports that rumor. It’s not often you find a guy that can blow up your center or chase down your running back in the open field, maybe even both in one play, but Kenneth Grant is certainly that guy. He’s super quick off the snap, often beating guys with his first step and he can get his wheels going very fast for a guy his size. His draft profile on NFL.com labels him as a two-down guy best suited to be a run-stuffer, and I actually disagree with that sentiment. He finished his 2024 season at Michigan with just 3 sacks, but he also forced 23 QB hurries, and took strides as a pass rusher each year he spent there. In fact, the only thing that gives me cause to pause when I think about his potential as a three-down nose tackle is his stamina/conditioning. I have very few reservations about his CAPABILITY to be a high snap count guy for us.
Kenneth Grant is as freaky-athletic-a-guy as you’re going to find in the 2025 draft, but he’s also one of the more raw prospects this go-round. There were times where he was really unable to affect the game at all based on the kinds of blocks he was seeing. A lot of that has to do with his pad level being too high too often. “Low man wins” is one of the oldest adages among DL/OL guys, and Kenneth Grant’s film proves that at times. He often engages blockers standing almost completely upright, and that allows most competent offensive lineman to take him out of his gap on run plays, or just take him completely out of the play as a pass rusher. Also, on plays where Grant is pass rushing, he has little-to-no bend, so if he doesn’t win with that quick first step, there’s not much he’s able to do from there.
In the wise words of Head Coach Mike Tomlin: “Well, that’s coaching.”
Love him, hate him, indifferent to him….there’s power and truth in those words. You can’t teach a guy to be a freak of nature physically like Kenneth Grant is, but you can teach him to lower his pad level and work on his conditioning. When I think of Kenneth Grant, Broderick Jones on the other side of the ball comes to my mind. When we selected Jones in the first round of the 2023 draft, he was a raw prospect with insane physical traits, but bad technique. I’ll let yinz be the judge of how that pick has panned out, but it’s fun to think about the kind of dominant force Kenneth Grant can be at the NFL level working with the likes of Mike Tomlin and Cameron Heyward.
Former Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh called Kenneth Grant “a gift from the football gods”, and I think after the NFL Combine…folks are going to see why he feels that way. Grant is not the polished prospect that his Michigan partner in crime (Mason Graham) is, and that’s why Mason Graham is probably not going to be available when the Steelers are on the clock at 21st overall in the draft. Don’t be surprised, though, if the Pittsburgh Steelers take a chance on Kenneth Grant with that pick.
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