Scouting Profile: Kenneth Grant - IDL - Michigan
Sales Pitch: Large powerful DT with the movement skills of a much smaller player. Pass rush polish must catch up to run defense but has the upside to be a gamechanger on the interior.
*Gold Numbers Indicate NCAA T-25 for 2024*
Scouting Report
Kenneth Grant is a former 3-Star recruit from the state of Indiana. He was a two-way player in high school at both DT and OG, he also lettered in Track & Field, were he participated in shot put. Grant was a key contributor during his three years at Michigan, appearing in 41 games and receiving All-Conference honors in both 2023 and 2024, as well as All-American honors in ‘24.
Grant is a physical marvel at 6’ 3”, 330+ pounds with the movement skills of a much smaller man. He has exceptional length and play strength to go with excellent first step burst and quickness. He displays the anchor and play strength to take on double teams at the point of attack and hold his ground. He uses high level grip strength and length to throw aside lineman when asked to defend multiple gaps. Grant is an extremely smart player, who tracks ball carriers rush paths behind the line of scrimmage very well. Grant’s quickness allows him to live in single gap schemes as well, using his burst off the line to quickly shoot gaps and generate negative plays. He plays with a constant motor as a pursuit defender often ending up involved in plays 10+ yards down the field, outrunning many smaller defenders. As a pass rusher Grant primarily wins with power. He uses heavy hands to create initial knockback before using his size and strength to collapse lineman into the pocket. His length grants him a large tackle radius allowing him to corral quicker QBs as they try to escape the pocket. When Grant’s rush fails he displays an excellent knack for getting a hand on the ball. His 5 batted balls in 2024 was one of the best marks for a DT in the country.
At 330 pounds there will always be questions about Grant’s conditioning levels, especially at the torrid pace he plays with when on the field. He logged a career high 547 snaps in 2024, the 2nd highest mark for a defensive tackle on the team, which is an encouraging sign. Grant is an excellent run defender but has some technique issues to clean up when offenses force him to move laterally. His pads will get too high when working to defeat reach blocks and double teams can generate lateral displacement far too often given his overall play strength. As a pass rusher Grant primarily wins with his physical tools and will need to improve his rush arsenal. He lacks a polished set of primary and secondary moves, too often his rushes stall out if he cannot win with power. He will also likely struggle for most of his career to put up big sack numbers due to a lack of closing speed. Grant struggles to turn his large frame at the top of rushes and convert pressures to sacks at a consistent clip.
Grant profiles as an A-gap defender with the versatility to play in an odd or even front. His blend of size and athleticism projects well both single and two gap run schemes. His mental makeup and run defense gives him a solid starting point at the next level but he will have to realize his pass rush ceiling to make good on his draft selection. Grant projects as a mid to late first round pick and could go as high as IDL2 in the class.