Draft Analyst Grades for Grant Selection

While TV analysts and podcasters generally had favorable reviews of the Miami Dolphins selection of defensive tackle Kenneth Grant with the 13th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, draft pundits who hand out immediate weren't quite as generous.

In fact, based on a roundup of national media outlets, the selection of Grant was viewed as mediocre.

Nine different major outlets handed out grades for every first-round pick and the Dolphins wound up with a 2.3 GPA, which amounts to a C+.

Not one of the outlets gave the Dolphins as much as an A-, with the best grades landing at B+ from CBS Sports' Pete Prisco and The Ringer's Danny Kelly.

ESPN's longtime draft guru Mel Kiper didn't hand out grades, but he had the Dolphins' selection of Grant among those picks he thought were questionable or reaches, in large part because he had Grant at 30th on his big board.

THE REPORT CARD ON THE DOLPHINS SELECTION OF KENNETH GRANT

Sports Illustrated (Matt Verderame): C

Analysis: Grant doesn’t get the same amount of attention as his former teammate in Mason Graham, but he’s a first-round talent all day. The 331-pounder was a dominant force on the interior for Michigan, showing the ability to stuff the run while also getting upfield to total 6.5 sacks over the past two years. He’s the best pure nose tackle in this class.

NFL.com (Chad Reuter): B-

Analysis: Grant could grow to become a powerful tackle in the Dexter Lawrence mold. He possesses good feet for his size. He'll need to play with a lower pad level against NFL interior linemen, though, and must show the ability to affect the passer to be more than a two-down tackle. It's not clear to me that Grant was the top tackle on the board at No. 13, with Derrick Harmon still available. It’s also worth noting that Jahdae Barron could have filled a pressing need in the secondary for the Dolphins.

CBS Sports (Pete Prisco): B+

Analysis: The Dolphins had to get an interior defensive lineman and Grant fits in perfectly. He is a big, power player who can line up next to Zach Sieler. I like this pick for a team desperate for defensive line help. 

FOX Sports (Rob Rang: C-

Analysis: The injury to Tua Tagovailoa was obviously the biggest factor in Miami's disappointing 8-8 season, but don't overlook the loss of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins to the Raiders in free agency. This club needed girth and power inside and few in this class provide that more than Grant, a burly intimidator in the middle. Grant is unique in that along with his bulk, he's also a very smart defender, getting his hands up to knock down passes and kicks. That said, while the position was clearly one of need for Miami, I didn't see Grant as worthy of a top-20 selection and question the value of this pick.

The Athletic: B

This was a little earlier than expected for Grant, whom Brugler had rated No. 25 in this class. Grant is stout and solid, though, and can take up blockers in the Dolphins’ 3-4 defense. He is the perfect defensive tackle to play over the center or between the A-gap and occupy double teams. As his frame suggests, Grant is massive, yet he’s still quicker than most men his size. Playing alongside Graham at Michigan, Grant compiled a combined 11.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks plus 11 passes defensed over the last two years. He also has a wide wingspan (82 5/8 inches).

Yahoo Sports (Charles McDonald): B-

Kenneth Grant is a big, athletic nose tackle who will immediately help the Dolphins get more physical against the run. Grant has some pass rush upside that’s unusual for a 330-pound defensive tackle, but Miami’s offensive tackle situation is in such a tough spot. It might’ve been a bit more prudent to draft an offensive tackle here.

The Ringer (Danny Kelly): B+

The Dolphins ate their vegetables with this pick, eschewing sexier options to bolster their interior defensive line. Grant is a massive, pocket-collapsing lineman who can eat up blocks in the run game while providing some nice push as a pass rusher on passing downs. He’s a rare athlete for his size, and while he’ll probably never produce double-digit sacks, he could be a force multiplier for everyone around him. 

USA Today (Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz): C

A magnet for double teams and a force against the run, the 6-4, 331-pounder will certainly make his presence felt for a Dolphins team needing to create more of a push up front. But Grant still has substantial work to do to harness his considerable athleticism in pass-rushing scenarios, and he might never be a prolific playmaker in the backfield. That makes this pick a little rich in a class that's long on interior defenders who can hold the point of attack.

Pro Football Focus: Above average

The Dolphins could have gone in many directions, but they opted to fill a void on the interior with a nose tackle who possesses a rare combination of size and quickness. Grant posted an 87.5 PFF run-defense grade (90th percentile) in 2024 and is an upgrade over Benito Jones. This pick further boosts a defense that ranked sixth in PFF run-defense grade last season.

Pro Football Network: C

With the 13th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins addressed the trenches – but perhaps not on the side of the ball fans would’ve preferred. However, options were sparse on the offensive line at this value, making it easier for the Dolphins to follow their board and select Kenneth Grant. Grant is a unique player in that he fills a specific niche very well in theory. At 6-3, 330 pounds, he’s a block of rock on the interior, with “dancing bear” athleticism and agility both in the pass-rush phase and in recovery as a run defender. He’s a visibly better space-eater and gap defender at 0-tech and 1-tech than Mazi Smith was coming out, and there’s legitimate pass-rush juice, too. As a complete NFL player, Grant still has some development to undergo, as down-to-down consistency and conditioning can sometimes be an issue. On the draft board, in a very deep DT class with multiple nose tackle candidates, this was a reach – but few nose tackles have Grant’s sheer upside alongside Zach Sieler if he can continue trending up.

Bleacher Report (Brent Sobleski): D

The Miami Dolphins are paper thin along their defensive line, which is exactly why they spent the 13th overall pick on Michigan’s Kenneth Grant. Grant has the potential to be a wall in the middle of their defense and provides some toughness along the Dolphins' interior. Zach Sieler definitely needs help. At the same time, the Dolphins just picked a nose tackle with far less upside as a pass rusher than Dexter Lawrence, who entered the league as the 17th overall pick in the 2019 draft. Grant isn’t a Haloti Ngata-caliber prospect, either, and he went 12th overall. Is Grant a great athlete? Absolutely. The potential is oozing off this mammoth of a man. But he’s not a three-down defender, and he may never be. Still, size matters for NFL prospects. Grant didn't dominate the way that he should have in college, but he has the physical tools that every NFL team wants in its defensive linemen.

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