Who is Kenneth Grant? Michigan DT may be available to Bengals at No. 17 in NFL draft

The Cincinnati Bengals have the 17th overall pick in Thursday’s first round of the NFL draft in Green Bay, and Michigan tackle Kenneth Grant could be among the best defensive linemen available.

Grant is one of five players who make sense for the Bengals at No. 17, according to The Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway, who added that Grant’s best trait is his run-stopping ability.

What to know about the 6-foot-4, 331-pound Grant, who played three seasons for the Michigan Wolverines:

Grant was named third-team Associated Press All-American last season.

A second-team all-Big Ten selection, Grant started 12 games in his final season for Michigan, totaling 32 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and five pass breakups.

Grant, who is 21 years old, did not play in Michigan’s ReliaQuest Bowl win against Alabama.

In 2023, Grant also was named second-team All-Big Ten. He played in all 15 games and made five starts for the Wolverines’ CFP national championship squad, finishing his second season with 29 tackles, five tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks an interception and six pass breakups.

Grant didn’t participate in on-field drills at the NFL combine because of a hamstring strain.

Grant did take part in Michigan’s Pro Day after the combine, recording a 5.11 40-yard dash, a 31-inch vertical, 8-foot-9-inch broad jump and 27 bench reps at 330 pounds.

“Grant’s game will finally come together in full when he’s able to take his impressive physical attributes and impose his will on opponents,” Lance Zierlein wrote in Grant’s NFL.com draft profile. “Grant is a broad-bodied nose tackle whose tape can run hot and cold depending on the game and the types of blocks he’s facing.”

Grant played both ways as a lineman at Indiana’s Merrillville High School.

As a senior, Grant helped Merrillville to a 12-1 record. Grant also competed in shot put for the school’s track and field team.

After Grant arrived in Ann Arbor, then-Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh called Grant “a gift from the football gods.”

Grant lost about 20 pounds before his sophomore season for the Wolverines, dropping from about 360 to about 340.

From Brian Baldinger via Twitter/X: