The Miami Dolphins got their guy last night in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, selecting Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant with the 13th overall pick. 

On the surface, it's a strong pick that provides immediate help to a crucial area of the roster that needed an overhaul. That's hard to knock. But evaluating draft moves has to be made in the context of both the move that was made AND other options available to the Dolphins. So, let's consider those. 

Dolphins took Grant instead of potentially moving back and adding more picks.

I don't have to muse about this, at least not if you take Dolphins general manager Chris Grier at his word. According to Grier, they had "a couple of calls" that would give them the opportunity to move back.  Didn't say who, how far, or what trade compensation was offered.  That all matters, obviously. 

But for a roster that needs so much talent infused, particularly in the secondary and both lines of scrimmage, one has to wonder what those offers where.  It's especially important because, as I've mentioned before, Miami has just 3 of their 10 picks in the first three rounds, with one of them – compensatory pick 98 – coming near the end of round 3. Adding more picks on day two, even another third, would have been big for a team trying to find two starting cornerbacks, a starting guard, a starting safety (in all likelihood), and multiple impact interior defensive linemen with the main wave of free agency in the rearview mirror. 

I can't help but wonder what those options would have been. 

The pick of Grant addressed a strong need with a very good player. 

But still, I can't knock the pick itself. Quite the contrary, actually. Grant is a physical specimen at 6'4", 334 pounds and finally gives Miami a rock of a nose tackle they've lacked, although he played way more than half of his 543 snaps last year outside of the nose position, so he's got some positional versatility. 

He holds up well against the run, and if Miami can harness his athleticism and straight-line quickness with improved technique, the talent is there to give, with Zach Sieler, a two-headed threat up the middle in passing situations. 

---

Overall, this is a move that I like very much, given this roster's short- and long-term needs. However, I can't help but wonder a little bit what more they could have done if they'd moved down and created more options in this draft while also addressing one of their other needs with another player if Grant was gone. 

Grade: B+

Miami Dolphins’ biggest remaining roster needs after the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft

Miami has plenty of holes to fill after their first pick