Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - In the days leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, WGR will provide profiles on some players that could be a good fit for the Buffalo Bills at positions of need.
This week, we are focusing on defensive tackle, with one of the top prospects at that position being Kenneth Grant from the University of Michigan.
When Grant showed up in Ann Arbor as a 17-year-old, he weighed more than 360 pounds. As the 6-foot-3 Grant leaves the Wolverines for life in the NFL, he is down to 332 pounds, and is called by some draft analysts a “rare specimen” due to his conditioning level and speed for someone of his size. Grant has run a 40-yard dash in as fast as 4.9 seconds.
Grant was a four-star prospect coming out of high school in Gary, Indiana, and was rated the 43rd-best defensive lineman in his recruiting year. Grant played in every game as a freshman, seeing time on the defensive line, as well as special teams.
By the end of his sophomore season, Grant had become a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection, and was part of a Michigan team that won a national championship.
Grant went one step further this past season while anchoring the middle of Michigan's defense, as he added Third-Team Associated Press All-American honors to his resume.
In 41 games for the Maize and Blue, Grant totaled 69 tackles, 11.5 for a loss, and six-and-a-half sacks. He added one interception, three fumbles recovered, had 10 passes broken up and nine quarterback hurries.
Here is what Joe Marino from the “Locked on Bills” and “Locked on NFL Scouting” podcasts has to say about Grant:
Positives:
One of my favorite prospects in this class, regardless of position. I'm big-time in on Kenneth Grant.
He's big, he's physical, and he plays with a hot motor. He's a 330-pound defensive tackle that has unbelievable lateral range.
Obviously as a nose tackle, you want a guy that's going to be able to eat space and take up blockers. This guy compliments that with his ability to work down the line of scrimmage, and his ability to get into the backfield.
I think there's a dynamic movement skill, this is a true dancing bear.
I think he's got a lot of football skill to go with it. His ability to carry speed through steep angles is impressive for 330 pounds. It's a rare dude, in terms of size, movement skills and power and he can disengage from blocks.
I think he's got a lot of unrealized pass rush potential with that blend of quickness, size and power. There are some rare elements to the overall package with Grant that has an upsized element here that I would want to invest in for sure.
Concerns:
He weighed as much as 360 pounds at Michigan, so you don't love the idea that there could be weight control issues. We have to make sure we're on the same page from a playing weight perspective.
I think his pads can get a little bit tall, so you don't want to lose leverage. If he's going to get displaced in the run game, it's not because he's not strong and big and powerful. It's because his pads get tall and you lose leverage battles, and that's never going to work out for you.
I think he's got unrealized potential as a pass rusher, but I don't think he's going to be your ideal long and late down player. You're going to want to sub him out. It's not that if he is on the field for a passing down on first or second down that he can't impact the game, I think he can. He's very good at getting his hands up in throwing lanes, but is he a true three-down player?
It's fair to reasonably question that.
WGR will provide full coverage of the 2025 NFL Draft during all seven rounds, starting Thursday, April 24 and continuing through Saturday, April 26.
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