Kenneth Grant

AFC North Draft Rumors: Browns, Bengals, Steelers, Ravens

April 10th, 2025 at 9:25pm CST by Ely Allen

Recently, we saw the Browns host a few probable Day 2 quarterback prospects, and it made us think that Cleveland is less likely to select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and more likely to take his teammate Travis Hunter or Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter then pick a quarterback at the top of the second round. During an interview on ESPN’s The Daily Grossi, Tony Grossi seemed to support this notion.

Grossi seemed to confirm that the Browns like Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe “a lot” and that they could easily select him near the second round after addressing another position at No. 2 overall. I say “near the second round” because it’s likely that Cleveland could trade up a short distance back into the first round to secure a fifth-round option for a young passer.

This fits well with Milroe’s projected draft range, which Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports puts anywhere from pick No. 20 overall to pick No. 50. Cleveland holds the first pick of the second round (No. 33 overall).

Here are a few other draft rumors coming out of the AFC North division:

After spending most of their offseason so far (and a huge portion of their salary cap) on the wide receiver position, the Bengals are expected to use most of their six draft picks on defense, according to Jordan Reid of ESPN. With the team so far failing to reach a new agreement with defensive end Trey Hendrickson and potentially even including him in a Draft Day trade deal, defensive end could be an obvious target in the first round. Tony Pauline of sportskeeda predicts that if Cincinatti does go pass rusher, assuming Carter and Georgia’s Mykel Williams are already off the table, it could trigger a run of pass rushers instead of allowing them to continue to slide later and later into the first round.
While the Steelers are expected to spend one of their two picks in the first three rounds of the draft on a quarterback, Reid claims that they could use the other on a defensive tackle or wide receiver. The team has done plenty of research on both positions, notably checking out defensive tackles Joshua Farmer from Florida State and JJ Pegues from Ole Miss and wide receivers Matthew Golden from Texas and Savion Williams from TCU.
Lastly, ESPN’s Jamison Hensley predicts that the most likely first-round scenario sees the Ravens bolstering their defensive line. Kyle Van Noy returns after giving the team 21.5 sacks in the last two years, and Odafe Oweh finally broke out with a 10.0-sack performance in 2024, but David Ojabo and Adisa Isaac — both drafted in the top three rounds of their respective drafts — have yet to make an impact. With Michael Pierce retiring and Travis Jones entering a contract year, defensive tackle could make a lot of sense. The first round is extremely deep at the position with players like Michigan’s Kenneth Grant, Ole Miss’s Walter Nolen, and Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams all projected to be selected somewhere around Baltimore’s 27th overall pick. More likely, though, the Ravens tend to let the draft fall to them and select the best player available regardless of position. With few true holes on the roster, this should give them a bevy of options.

Top Michigan Prospects Won’t Work Out At Combine

February 27th, 2025 at 12:58pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Two top prospects from Michigan – cornerback Will Johnson and defensive tackle Kenneth Grant – will not work out at the Combine, per ESPN’s Jordan Reid and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Fellow Wolverine Mason Graham will only participate in the bench press, according to Rapoport.

Graham opted out of his workout, while Grant was diagnosed with a hamstring strain during Combine medical evaluations. Johnson missed the second half of the season with turf toe and is waiting until Michigan’s pro day to return to the field. He will be joined by Graham and Grant, and all three are expected to go in the first-round of April’s draft.

Johnson, Graham, and Grant join a growing list of players who are not working out at the Combine. Some, including Michigan teammate Colston Loveland, cannot participate due to medical reasons. Other top prospects like Travis Hunter are simply opting out.

Graham is the fourth-ranked prospect on Daniel Jeremiah’s pre-combine big board after three excellent seasons at Michigan. He is projected to be the first defensive tackle taken in the draft, with Grant battling for DT2 with a few other players. Johnson is among the top cornerbacks in the draft, but will need to prove that he’s healthy after last year’s absence.

The three Wolverines were major contributors to Michigan’s top-ranked defense in 2023 en route to a national championship. The team took a step back in 2024, but all three players still showed that they’re ready for the NFL.

Michigan DT Kenneth Grant Declares For Draft

December 29th, 2024 at 6:40pm CST by Ely Allen

The mass exodus out of Ann Arbor continues as another Wolverine who won a national championship under Jim Harbaugh has announced his intention of following his former head coach into the NFL. Following the likes of teammates like tight end Colston Loveland, cornerback Will Johnson, and defensive tackle Mason Graham, defensive tackle Kenneth Grant has foregone his remaining college eligibility in order to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft. Grant made the announcement from his X account.

As a four-star recruit out of Merrillville HS, Grant was ranked the eighth-best prospect coming out of Indiana. As is typical of top recruits coming out of the Midwest, Grant’s recruitment involved offers from lots of Big 10 schools, while the decision ultimately came down to Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Michigan. Taking official visits to all three schools, the final visit he took to Ann Arbor ultimately swayed his decision, prompting a commitment two weeks later at the start of his senior year.

Coming into Michigan as a part of the same signing class as Loveland, Johnson, and Graham, Grant was the only one of the four who failed to make much of an impact as a true freshman. While he appeared in all 14 games like his teammates, he contributed very little as a depth piece, totaling only eight tackles.

In his sophomore season, Grant joined forces with Graham to form a formidable duo in the middle of the defensive front. Graham led the way with 36 tackles (eight for loss), three sacks, and a forced fumble, while Grant kept pace with 29 tackles (five for loss), 3.5 sacks, and an interception en route to a national championship title largely led by the Wolverines’ top scoring and top total defense in the nation.

Though Michigan’s defense wasn’t tops this year, the team still finished admirably at 21st in scoring defense and 14th in total defense, thanks to a rushing defense that ranked fourth. Graham continued to dominate in the middle with 45 tackles (seven for loss) and 3.5 sacks, while Grant continued to match his peer with 32 tackles (seven for loss) and three sacks. In both years, Grant also showed an irritating penchant for interrupting passing lanes, collecting five passes defensed in each season, as well.

While the consensus around draft analysts indicates that Graham is the superior draft prospect who is trending towards the top of the first round as the top defensive tackle across the board, Grant doesn’t rank far behind. ESPN’s Matt Miller slots Grant in as the fourth-best defensive tackle and the 19th-best prospect overall, giving him a first-round grade, as well. Miller’s peers at ESPN all seem to agree, with Mel Kiper and Jordan Reid also ranking him as the fourth defensive tackle and Field Yates ranking him fifth. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s midseason draft rankings are right in step with ESPN, ranking Grant as the fifth-best defensive tackle in the draft and the 25th-best prospect overall.

While Grant may be a little disappointed by continuing to play second fiddle to his classmate, Graham, that disappointment will be short-lived when he likely hears his name called shortly after on the first night of the draft. He’ll hope to be among a host of other names all hailing from Ann Arbor as part of a strong Wolverines 2025 draft class.