2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Kenneth Grant

Strengths:

• Size: Hulking frame with incredible mass that is hard to move off the football.
• Strength: Powerful football player from head-to-toe with strength to control the point of attack and make a mess at the line of scrimmage.
• Anchor: Grant requires multiple blockers on rushing downs. He is capable of rooting his feet and anchoring down against double teams.
• Explosiveness: He uses good burst for his size to fly past blockers off the snap when the situation allows it.
• Athleticism: Surprising athleticism and lateral quickness for his size allow him to work loops and stunts effectively.
• Pass Rush Moves: Grant flashes real upside as a pass rusher with a swim move that catches blockers off guard.

Weaknesses:

• Pass Rush Consistency: His bull rush is only as effective as his pad level, which is often high. Grant's impact as a pass rusher is limited when he doesn't win with his initial step or move.
• Athleticism vs Size: Despite being an excellent athlete for his size, he only has average athleticism to make secondary efforts on passing downs.
• Take-On Technique: Grant is over-reliant on strength and size when taking on blocks, allowing blockers into his body too often. Contact balance is sometimes an issue, ending up on the ground more often than expected.
• Space Eater vs Playmaker: Grant struggles to stay ahead of blocks against horizontal run concepts. Once engaged, his shorter arms make him more likely to clog run lanes than to shed the blocker and make the tackle.

Final Thoughts and Bears Fit for Kenneth Grant:

Like Jordan Davis and T'Vondre Sweat, I expect Grant to make headlines at the NFL combine. Players who are this large and athletic always draw attention. However, I care more about the film than Grant's testing numbers. We know he is massive, with good burst and excellent speed for his size.

Unlike the players mentioned earlier, Grant doesn't have any off-field issues. He may not be as large or extraordinary an athlete as those two were, but he is in the same tier. This raises the question: how valuable are those players? Davis appeared to get lost in the Eagles' defensive tackle rotation this season, while Sweat was one of the top rookie defensive tackles in 2024.

You can find quality nose tackles in the mid-to-late rounds of the draft, but these players often offer limited pass-rush ability. Grant's best pass-rushing reps are impressive; he wins with a quick first step that seems unlikely for someone his size. While I worry about his consistency as a pass-rush threat at the NFL level, he has a high floor. His ceiling may never surpass that of a non-Pro Bowl key contributor, but he is a solid target within the top 50, carrying the floor of a potential starter.

For the Bears, Grant would be a significant addition to a defensive line that urgently needs tackle depth. He would immediately rotate with Andrew Billings and Gervon Dexter, providing the Bears with three players possessing the physical attributes to stop the run and pressure the passer. At pick 10, selecting Grant would be quite a stretch. However, at pick 39, he would be an outstanding choice. He is likely to be picked around 20, so unless the Bears trade down from 10 or up from 39, he might not be feasible for them.

Pro Comp: BJ Raji