Kenneth Grant, Michigan: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Grant was a three-star recruit from Merrillville High School in Merrillville, Ind. in the class of 2022

Michigan nose tackle Kenneth Grant is arguably the best pound-for-pound athlete in the 2025 NFL Draft. Grant’s burst, size, and measurables give him immense upside, but his potential hasn’t translated to consistently dominant production yet.

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Kenneth Grant, IDL Michigan: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior nose tackle from Gary, Ind.

Background: Grant was a three-star recruit from Merrillville High School in Merrillville, Ind. in the class of 2022. He was the No. 444 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 277 (four-star) for On3.com. Grant was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 78 grade out of 100. Merrillville went 40-9 across Grant’s four seasons as a starter. He won three consecutive regional titles in high school and appeared in the IHSAA Class 6A Semifinal three straight years. As a high school senior, Grant helped Merrillville to a 9-0 regular season record and a 12-1 overall finish. He played both along the defensive line and as an offensive guard in 2021. That year, Grant amassed 38 tackles, 14.5 for loss, 6.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and two passes defensed. He also blocked four field goals, two extra point tries, and two punts. Grant earned two All-DAC selections in high school and was the 2021 Duneland Athletic Conference Player of the Year. As a junior, he totaled six tackles for loss, three sacks, and a fumble returned for a touchdown on his way to earning Post-Tribune Football Defensive All-Area Team honors. Grant posted 42 tackles, three sacks, and two forced fumbles as a sophomore. He also lettered in track and field, qualifying for the state meet in shot put. Grant was born on Oct. 27, 2003.

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: 2023 Second Team All-Big Ten (Coaches), 2023 Third Team All-Big Ten (Media)

Pros: Special teams experience on the field goal block and field goal units, appears to have massive arms, explosive and freaky linear athlete, Freaks List inclusion, times the snap and gets off the line well, nimble feet for a big man, impressive suddenness for a nose tackle, unlocks some bend on stunts, impressive agility faking one direction before redirecting on stunts, good momentum and speed on stunts, bull rush packs nice power when he extends his arms, two-armed bull rush, flashes of speed to power, spin move, rip move, swim move, push-pull-swim, club-rip, club-swim, powerful club throws centers off balance, impressive flashes of stacking, peaking, and shedding one-on-one blocks, ridiculous pursuit speed at his size, reliable tackler, reads the QB’s eyes and gets hands in throwing lanes

Cons: Limited workload entering 2024, appears to have leaner legs than Kris Jenkins Jr., pad level pops up at the snap, loses the leverage battle, doesn’t maximize arm length as a pass rusher, allows pass blockers into his frame too easily, plays chest-to-chest (with bearhugging) too much, impactful pass rush reps separated by a lot of non-impact rushes, underdeveloped and inconsistent pass rush plan, long-arm move collapses, needs to dip into his pass rush arsenal more often, hand counters and timing need work, strike timing and placement, rush derailed by double teams or chips, pushed and shoved off his path too often, doesn’t halt feet, sink, and anchor often enough, some issues shedding run blocks vs. Ohio State (2023), bounced out of gaps by combo blocks, too willing to flow with the o-line on run plays rather than dropping anchor

Overview: Grant primarily plays 0-tech, 1-tech, 2-tech, 2i, and 3-tech for the Wolverines. He has a thick upper frame with massive arms that should reach elite thresholds. Grant’s lower half is much leaner than his upper body, which causes some inconsistent reps in run defense. The junior releases off the line with nice speed, but his pad level rises immediately, causing Grant to lose the leverage battle. His nimble footwork and sudden movement skills make him a rare athlete along the interior. Grant fails to utilize his arms to their fullest potential. He allows offensive linemen into his frame too often and ends up chest-to-chest with blockers instead of locking them out with his elite length. Grant shows off some bend on stunts to tighten his loop and play with a more direct line to the quarterback. He sells his rush well before breaking the opposite direction on stunts, and very few linemen have the anchor to counter Grant’s momentum once he starts rolling. When he fully engages his arms, Grant has the power to bull rush linemen into the quarterback’s lap. His pass rush arsenal includes two-armed bull rushes, flashes of speed to power, spins, rips, swims, push-pull-swims, club-rips, and club-swims. His clubs are powerful enough to disrupt the center’s balance and create an open path to the quarterback. Unfortunately, Grant’s impactful pass rush reps are separated by a lot of plays where he fails to make a dent. He doesn’t deploy his pass rush moves and counters with ideal frequency or timing. Many of his rush moves need refining to reach an NFL-caliber level of play. Grant’s long-arm move collapses, leaving him chest-to-chest with the lineman. His initial strike timing and hand placement don’t set him up for success. The Indiana native’s rush plan doesn’t survive double teams or chips. Linemen drive him off his intended rush path too often. When he fails to get home, Grant reads the quarterback’s eyes to get his hands in passing lanes. His flashes of stacking, peaking, and shedding one-on-one blocks rank among the best in the class, but he’s still developing in this area. He willingly flows with the offensive line on misdirection plays or when the linemen slant down. Grant spends too much time flowing with the play instead of dropping his anchor to clog space. Combo blocks and duo bounce him out of gaps far too often considering his size. Grant is a freakishly explosive linear athlete who closes space with elite speed. These traits show up in pursuit. According to Bruce Feldman for The Athletic, Grant maxes out at 18.75 miles per hour on the GPS and ran a sub-five second 40-yard dash as a 360 lb. freshman.  

Overall, Grant is a rare linear athlete with elite speed and closing burst for a nose tackle capable of eating space in the middle or flushing quarterbacks from the pocket. Grant’s most notable shortcomings are tied to his high pad level and issues maximizing his potential as a run defender. He needs to lean more on technique and less on raw size and athleticism.

Role & Scheme Fit: Two-gapping nose tackle with alignment versatility

Round Grade: Second Round

Size: 6'3", 339 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 07-29-24

Updated: 10-10-24