Michigan DT Kenneth Grant could elevate the Vikings' defensive front under Brian Flores
Welcome to SKOL Search 2025! This is the fifth year I have done SKOL Search with the sole mission being to find NFL Draft prospects for the Minnesota Vikings. Throughout the entire process, this will be the most comprehensive draft guide with a focus on the Vikings. Each year, I scout incoming draft prospects from […]
Welcome to SKOL Search 2025!
This is the fifth year I have done SKOL Search with the sole mission being to find NFL Draft prospects for the Minnesota Vikings. Throughout the entire process, this will be the most comprehensive draft guide with a focus on the Vikings.
Each year, I scout incoming draft prospects from a neutral perspective and try to see how they could fit with Minnesota. This will be general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's fourth NFL Draft and we have a good sense of what he likes in a prospect.
Going into the offseason, the Vikings have just three official selections with a fourth likely coming with a compensatory selection in the third round. However they choose to use them, they need to make the most out of their limited resources.
Kenneth Grant
- Michigan
- Height: 6030
- Weight: 339
- Class: Third-year Junior
- Recruiting info: 4-star recruit in 2022 class per 247 Sports
- Stats: 69 tackles (36 solo), 12.0 TFLs, 6.5 sacks, 10 passes defended, 3 fumble recoveries
- Games watched: Texas 2024, USC 2024, Illinois 2024
Strengths
- Power: Grant has power in his hands. He can move linemen back into the backfield, but his main element of power is holding up at the point of attack. Can handle double teams and doesn't get moved off his spot.
- Athleticism: Grant is a massive human, but is incredibly quick on his feet. Jumps off the ball on the snap and can evade blockers easier than you would expect for his size. Grant also has great closing speed in the hole and backfield.
- Pass rush plan: Grant isn't going to be a consistent pass rusher but has a plan when he's trying to get to the quarterback. He uses a very quick swim move to penetrate that backfield. When he can't get home quickly, Grant gets his hands up consistently to bat the ball down.
- Scheme versatility: Grant can do a lot of things for your defensive line. He can play in an even front, odd front, one-gap, or two-gap.
Weaknesses
- Double teams: Grant doesn't get moved off of his spot often, but he doesn't power through double teams as much as you'd want to see.
- Stamina: Grant has played a heavy amount of snaps during his time at Michigan. In 2024, he played 543 snaps with five games over 50 snaps. With his size at 340 lbs, can he withstand that kind of play time in the NFL?
Overview
| Trait | Grade |
|---|---|
Quickness/Penetration | 16.5 |
Power | 9.5 |
Pass Rush Moves | 8.2 |
Counters | 7.8 |
Leverage | 9.0 |
Tackling | 8.6 |
Size/Length | 9.5 |
Run Defense | 9.0 |
Awareness | 9.0 |
Grade | 87.1 First Round Grade |
Grant is a supremely talented nose tackle who was asked to do a lot of different things at Michigan. Not only did he do all of the standard nose tackle things, Grant was also asked to be a looper and a pass rusher. You don't see that from a nose tackle.
If Grant were to join the Vikings, it would allow Harrison Phillips to be kicked out to a 4i DE spot, allowing him to be a more impactful player. Grant would likely rotate with Taki Taimani at nose tackle and potentially using both of them on short-yardage snaps.
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