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Dane Brugler had Grant as the number 3 DT and 25th overall prospect:
A two-year starter at Michigan, Grant was an interchangeable defensive tackle in defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s four-man front, lining up as both a three-technique and nose tackle. He went viral during the 2023 season when he chased down Penn State running back Kaytron Allen in the open field, and he was a steady presence on the Wolverines’ defensive line the past two seasons.
A dominant run presence, Grant is a powerful boulder who can execute two-gap techniques or stack single blocks and work down the line with quickness. He looks to fire off the ball, although his tall pads will negate his leverage and lower-body strength, diminishing his bull rush and limiting the ways in which he can impact the quarterback. Overall, Grant plays big in a big man’s game, but he also has the athletic traits and effort to grow into more than just a stout run stopper. He projects as an early-down NFL starter with three-down upside.
GRADE1st–2nd Round
Testing
TYPE HT WT HAND ARM WING 40 20 10 VJ BJ SS 3C BP NOTES
Combine 6035 331 101/8″ 331/2″ 825/8″ DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 22 No jumps, 40, pos. drills (med. exclusion: right hamstring)
Pro Day 6033 330 DNP DNP DNP 5.13 3.01 1.72 31″ 8′9″ 4.76
Strengths
Wide-bodied lineman with thickness throughout and unique athleticism (“Freaks List” alum)
Moves with big-man balance and flexible hips to swim through gaps
Uses lateral range to work up and down the line
Tough to move him off his spot
Plenty of natural power behind his active, physical hands
Locks out with his arms to control blocks and muck up things inside
Rare speed and hustle for his size to close the gap when chasing ball carrier
Smoothly calms his feet on the move to gobble up ball carriers and finish tackles
Has a knack for getting his big mitts up (10 combined pass breakups past two seasons)
Not overly vocal, but the coaches say he took on more of a leadership role in 2024
Weaknesses
Slow-burn pass rusher with an undeveloped plan if his first move is ineffective
Elevated pad level will leave him uprooted and neutralized post-snap
Delivers initial pop but struggles to create a consistent pocket push
Late to read blocking scheme or ball carrier at times
His weight will climb north of 350 pounds in the offseason, and his conditioning needs monitored
Didn’t miss a game because of injury in Ann Arbor but battled through right foot tendinitis as a high school senior
Tackle production (on either side of the line of scrimmage) doesn’t jump out
Background
Kenneth Grant grew up in Merrillville, Ind. (40 miles from Chicago), with his father (Kenneth Grant Sr.) and mother (Ewana Chatman), who divorced when Grant was in elementary school. He showed a natural interest in NFL football at a young age, and his mother finally allowed him to play organized football at age 8. Grant was almost always the biggest player on the field, and the coaches often needed his birth certificate ready to prove his age. There also were questions about whether or not he would make the 250-pound weight limit. He started playing for the Crowne Point Bulldogs and later joined several other teams, including the Raiders and Vikings in Pop Warner (weighed close to 300 pounds in middle school). Grant also played basketball and competed in track throughout middle school. He was recruited by Chicago-area high schools, but his mother kept him close to home.
Grant attended Merrillville High, where he was a three-sport standout. He started both ways as a freshman and made a name for himself as a sophomore with 42 tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles. As a junior, Grant helped Merrillville to a 10-2 record and the 2020 conference title, finishing with six tackles for loss, three sacks and a 50-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. Despite dealing with tendinitis in his right foot, he had his best season as a 350-pound senior and was named 2021 conference defensive player of the year (38 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, four blocked field goals, two blocked extra points and two blocked punts). He also started at left guard as part of an offensive line that blocked for running back Lavarion Logan, who set the school’s single-season and career rushing records before signing with Illinois State in the 2022 class. Merrillville enjoyed its first undefeated regular season in more than 30 years and finished with a 12-1 record, falling in the semifinals of the 2021 state playoffs.
Grant also lettered in basketball at track at Merrillville and had personal bests of 60 feet, 4 inches in the shot put and 55-0 in the discus, advancing to the state championships in both events.
A three-star recruit, Grant was the 59th-ranked defensive lineman in the 2022 recruiting class and the No. 10 recruit in Indiana. His recruitment started to take off after his sophomore year, when he received offers from Cincinnati and Purdue in the summer of 2020. After his junior season, Arizona State, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin joined the mix. Grant visited Columbus (and was considered an Ohio State lean) before committing to Michigan midway through his senior season. He was the 11th-ranked recruit in former head coach Jim Harbaugh’s 2022 class. Grant became best friends and roommates with Mason Graham at Michigan. He opted out of Michigan’s bowl game and accepted an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl but didn’t participate.
A two-year starter at Michigan, Grant was an interchangeable defensive tackle in defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s four-man front, lining up as both a three-technique and nose tackle. He went viral during the 2023 season when he chased down Penn State running back Kaytron Allen in the open field, and he was a steady presence on the Wolverines’ defensive line the past two seasons.
A dominant run presence, Grant is a powerful boulder who can execute two-gap techniques or stack single blocks and work down the line with quickness. He looks to fire off the ball, although his tall pads will negate his leverage and lower-body strength, diminishing his bull rush and limiting the ways in which he can impact the quarterback. Overall, Grant plays big in a big man’s game, but he also has the athletic traits and effort to grow into more than just a stout run stopper. He projects as an early-down NFL starter with three-down upside.
GRADE1st–2nd Round
Testing
TYPE HT WT HAND ARM WING 40 20 10 VJ BJ SS 3C BP NOTES
Combine 6035 331 101/8″ 331/2″ 825/8″ DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 22 No jumps, 40, pos. drills (med. exclusion: right hamstring)
Pro Day 6033 330 DNP DNP DNP 5.13 3.01 1.72 31″ 8′9″ 4.76
Strengths
Wide-bodied lineman with thickness throughout and unique athleticism (“Freaks List” alum)
Moves with big-man balance and flexible hips to swim through gaps
Uses lateral range to work up and down the line
Tough to move him off his spot
Plenty of natural power behind his active, physical hands
Locks out with his arms to control blocks and muck up things inside
Rare speed and hustle for his size to close the gap when chasing ball carrier
Smoothly calms his feet on the move to gobble up ball carriers and finish tackles
Has a knack for getting his big mitts up (10 combined pass breakups past two seasons)
Not overly vocal, but the coaches say he took on more of a leadership role in 2024
Weaknesses
Slow-burn pass rusher with an undeveloped plan if his first move is ineffective
Elevated pad level will leave him uprooted and neutralized post-snap
Delivers initial pop but struggles to create a consistent pocket push
Late to read blocking scheme or ball carrier at times
His weight will climb north of 350 pounds in the offseason, and his conditioning needs monitored
Didn’t miss a game because of injury in Ann Arbor but battled through right foot tendinitis as a high school senior
Tackle production (on either side of the line of scrimmage) doesn’t jump out
Background
Kenneth Grant grew up in Merrillville, Ind. (40 miles from Chicago), with his father (Kenneth Grant Sr.) and mother (Ewana Chatman), who divorced when Grant was in elementary school. He showed a natural interest in NFL football at a young age, and his mother finally allowed him to play organized football at age 8. Grant was almost always the biggest player on the field, and the coaches often needed his birth certificate ready to prove his age. There also were questions about whether or not he would make the 250-pound weight limit. He started playing for the Crowne Point Bulldogs and later joined several other teams, including the Raiders and Vikings in Pop Warner (weighed close to 300 pounds in middle school). Grant also played basketball and competed in track throughout middle school. He was recruited by Chicago-area high schools, but his mother kept him close to home.
Grant attended Merrillville High, where he was a three-sport standout. He started both ways as a freshman and made a name for himself as a sophomore with 42 tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles. As a junior, Grant helped Merrillville to a 10-2 record and the 2020 conference title, finishing with six tackles for loss, three sacks and a 50-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. Despite dealing with tendinitis in his right foot, he had his best season as a 350-pound senior and was named 2021 conference defensive player of the year (38 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, four blocked field goals, two blocked extra points and two blocked punts). He also started at left guard as part of an offensive line that blocked for running back Lavarion Logan, who set the school’s single-season and career rushing records before signing with Illinois State in the 2022 class. Merrillville enjoyed its first undefeated regular season in more than 30 years and finished with a 12-1 record, falling in the semifinals of the 2021 state playoffs.
Grant also lettered in basketball at track at Merrillville and had personal bests of 60 feet, 4 inches in the shot put and 55-0 in the discus, advancing to the state championships in both events.
A three-star recruit, Grant was the 59th-ranked defensive lineman in the 2022 recruiting class and the No. 10 recruit in Indiana. His recruitment started to take off after his sophomore year, when he received offers from Cincinnati and Purdue in the summer of 2020. After his junior season, Arizona State, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin joined the mix. Grant visited Columbus (and was considered an Ohio State lean) before committing to Michigan midway through his senior season. He was the 11th-ranked recruit in former head coach Jim Harbaugh’s 2022 class. Grant became best friends and roommates with Mason Graham at Michigan. He opted out of Michigan’s bowl game and accepted an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl but didn’t participate.
) the rooks live up to their billing. 
