In a season where the only thing that truly matters for the Miami Dolphins is developing their young talent, one of their biggest investments has unfortunately failed to stand out. 2025 first-round pick Kenneth Grant returned to the lineup in Week 5 after missing the first four games of the season with a toe injury, and he has been mostly invisible in his limited snaps.
Pro Football Focus has credited Grant with just a single quarterback pressure in 29 pass rush snaps so far this season, and he has the same pass rush win rate (3.8%) as veteran nose tackle Grover Stewart of the Indianapolis Colts. For an interior defender drafted 13th overall, that complete lack of ability to get to the QB is hard to stomach.
His run defense hasn't been any better, as his film is littered with plays where he is getting pushed around way too much for a player weighing close to 340 pounds. It's still very early in the season, but it could be time to start worrying if former general manager Chris Grier made one final first-round mistake before being sent packing.
Kenneth Grant has to show more promise if he wants to stay with the Miami Dolphins long-term
I went back and watched every defensive snap that Grant has taken so far this season, and the numbers and grades that PFF has for him certainly check out. When he was coming out of Michigan, he was billed as a potential freak of nature in the middle of a defense, with immense size and rare athleticism.
He struggled mightily to start his NFL career last season, but he started to show promise as a pass rusher down the stretch with 14 pressures on 99 pass rush snaps in the last five games of the year.
His toe injury could absolutely be slowing him down despite being healthy enough to play, so I don't want to crush him too much for his slow start. Right now, though, he has been a liability for the most part when he's been out there. His snaps have slowly increased each week, so the coaching staff clearly wants to see if he can play his way through his early struggles.
Luckily for Grant, he should have a relatively long leash given his draft pedigree and the focus on development this season. If Miami were looking to compete, however, it's fair to wonder if head coach Jeff Hafley might consider lowering his snaps. That's certainly not what Dolphins fans were hoping for from him.
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