2025 NFL Draft prospect profile – Kenneth Grant, IDL, Michigan

Could the Giants add another dancing elephant to their defensive line?

The New York Giants have a definite type at defensive tackle. They have always loved to take big defensive tackles who also have rare movement skills.

After all, the Giants are the team that originated the “Planet Theory” of drafting.

Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant fits that theory exceptionally well. At 6-foot-3, 331 pounds, Grant is an absolute rock in the middle of the Michigan defense. His size also belies rare movement skills and burst for the position.

Could he be a future Giant if he happens to slide in the draft?

Prospect: Kenneth Grant (78)
Games Watched: vs. Texas (2024), vs. USC (2024), vs. Minnesota (2024), vs. Illinois (2024)

Measurables

Kent Lee Platte | RAS.football

Strengths

Best traits

• Size
• Play strength
• Run defense
• Short-area quickness
• Agility

Kenneth Grant is a big, powerful, and surprisingly athletic nose tackle prospect.

Grant has a classic nose tackle build at 6-foot-3, 331 pounds, with 33 ½ inch arms. He’s big, stout, powerful enough to control double teams, and has enough length to get his hands on blockers first. His size, however, belies some really impressive short-area quickness and movement skills.

Grant has a remarkable first first step and explosiveness, and is able to overwhelm blockers with his first two or three steps when attacking an individual gap. He obviously has an effective bull rush, but also has some sophisticated pass rush moves as well. That can make him a real headache for interior blockers and disruptive in the backfield.

And while Grant wasn’t an every-down player for the Wolverines – he was rotated off the field to combat fatigue – he was used on obvious passing downs as well as in short-yardage situations.

Grant plays with great leverage and is able to command and control double teams in the running game. His arm length, hand usage, and quickness all allow him to discard blocks at will and make plays whenever the ball comes near him. He also gives great effort in pursuit, though he might not run many ball carriers down. He does understand how to use his presence to deny cutback lanes and force them back to his teammates.

Weaknesses

Worst traits

• Long speed
• Pass rush

Grant has few, if any, weaknesses in his game.

He does have some slight limitations, mostly relating to his speed over any kind of distance. He has remarkable short-area athleticism for a man his size, but his play speed slows dramatically after a few steps. That limits his range in pursuit as well as his ability to finish his pass rushes.

Grant also has a slight tendency to resort to an arm-over (“swim”) move as a pass rusher, which can expose his sizable torso to blockers and add drag to his rushes.

Game Tape

(Grant is the Michigan defensive tackle wearing number 78 and yellow sleeves.)

Projection

Kenneth Grant projects as a starting interior defensive lineman in the NFL, with schematic versatility.

It remains to be seen whether Grant would earn Pro Bowl honors at the NFL level, though that would likely have more to do with how he’s used than his ability. He should be a very good player and could quickly become one of the top nose tackles in the NFL. Grant has the ability to be disruptive behind the line of scrimmage and has real upside as a 1-technique in a penetrating defense. However, he could also be used to control blockers and create opportunities for his teammates. If so, he might not accumulate the stats and highlight reel plays to earn Pro Bowl or All-Pro honors.

But that wouldn’t diminish the impact he can have on a defense – or an offense.

Does he fit the Giants?
Schematically yes, though the value might not align

Final Word: A later first round talent