3. Kenneth Grant, Michigan, defensive tackle
The
Wolverines have produced more freak defensive linemen in the last half-dozen years than anyone, from Rashan Gary (first-rounder), Kwity Paye (first-rounder),
Aidan Hutchinson (first-rounder) and
Mazi Smith (first-rounder) to
Kris Jenkins (second-rounder). The 6-3, 350-pound Grant is the biggest of all of them. As a sophomore, he helped anchor the nation’s No. 1 defense for the national champion Wolverines, making 29 tackles, 5.0 for loss, with 3.5 sacks; six quarterback hurries, five pass breakups, one interception and one fumble recovery. When Grant arrived in Ann Arbor as a three-star recruit from Indiana, Jim Harbaugh raved about the then-360-pounder running a sub-5.0 40. Anyone doubting Grant’s speed (a max of 18.75 mph on the GPS) only needed to see him run down
Penn State running back
Kaytron Allen in the open field last year. His ability to fly up Michigan’s reactive plyo stairs test, a series of seven 26-inch-high stairs that players attempt to jump up as fast as possible, is truly freakish. This offseason, Grant pressed a 115-pound dumbbell 34 times on his right and 27 times on his left. He vertical-jumped 29 inches and did a Turkish get-up with a 150-pound dumbbell.
“Watching KG move is like a work of art,” said Justin Tress, Michigan’s director of strength and conditioning. “He plays and trains violent and explosive.”
Grant isn’t the only freak this year on the Wolverines’ defensive line. Junior Mason Graham, a disruptive force at 6-3 and 315 pounds who was first-team all-conference in 2023, clocked a 4.69 in the 20-yard shuttle and could do the Turkish get-up with a 150-pound dumbbell.