As a college football analyst for FOX, Joel Klatt has called numerous Michigan games during defensive tackle Kenneth Grant’s three-year career.
The Miami Dolphins selecting Grant at No. 12 could be considered a shock for some considering the 6-foot-4, 331-pounder was widely projected to get drafted later in the first round or early in the second, but Klatt wasn’t surprised.
“He’s got this rare motor for a guy that’s 330 pounds, and he doesn’t even understand how good he is yet,” Klatt said on the NFL Network draft broadcast. “I think his best football is ahead of him. He’s a block disruptor. He’s a great locker room guy and I think he could be one of the premier defensive tackles in the NFL in the coming years.”
Grant was a two-year starter for the Wolverines and formed a dynamic tackle duo this season with Mason Graham, the No. 5 overall pick to the Browns on Thursday. Grant only tallied 6 ½ sacks in 41 career games, but his value to the Dolphins, at least initially, will be plugging up the run game in the middle of their defense.
“If you’re thinking about his ceiling, think (All-Pro) Dexter Lawerence from the New York Giants,” ESPN analyst Booger McFarland said. “That’s the type of big man he is. Athletic, can run, can make plays. This is not a guy that is going to be a fire hydrant and just sit there. This is a big man at 330 pounds and he can run and he can move. He’s got to become a better rusher, and I think he has all the tools because he is a twitchy 330 pounds.”
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. isn’t as bullish on the former three-star recruit from Indiana, raising concerns about his endurance. Grant’s snap count climbed from 403 in 2023 to 547 last season.
“I think you look at the fluctuation (of) weight, when he gets a little heavy, his endurance, his stamina (decreased),” Kiper said. “Played a little high, wore down in some games. That’s an issue. I think when he plays the right way, he can be a guy can affect the quarterback throwing the football, because he can break up passes. He can be disruptive.”
