Cole Pepper
With a dire need on the defensive line, the Miami Dolphins used the 13th pick of the NFL draft on Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant.
Grant paired with the fifth pick, Mason Graham, to form the top defensive tackle combo in college football. At 6-foot-4, 331 pounds, Grant was a disruptive force in the interior of the Wolverines’ line who finished his final season in Ann Arbor with three sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss. He did not play in the team’s bowl game against Alabama.
He is a prototypical nose tackle, wide and strong, although scouts believe he can play in any scheme.
Grant was projected by most mock drafts as being selected later in the first round, but Miami chose him at No. 13, which Grant admitted was a surprise to him.
“I think I fit in great,” Grant said. “It’s a similar kind of scheme as my previous school. Some things are a little different but I think I could wreak havoc in the back field in the run and pass game.”
The pick certainly fills a need, and the Dolphins still have nine picks remaining, including the 48th and 98th picks overall, in the second and third rounds, respectively. Miami has seven picks on the third day of the draft, rounds four through seven.
What will Miami address in the second and third rounds?
They could address defensive tackle again. The defensive secondary and interior offensive line are also areas of need.
Some defensive tackles to watch for in the second and third rounds include Texas A&M’s Shemar Turner, South Carolina’s T.J. Sanders and Florida State’s Joshua Farmer.
Miami should also have its choice of the top safeties. Only Georgia’s Malaki Starks was selected in the first round. Nick Emmanwori of South Carolina, Billy Bowman Jr. from Oklahoma, Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts and Penn State’s Kevin Winston Jr. were all projected as potential late first-round picks. All are still available.
Three guards also deserve consideration on the draft’s second day. Georgia’s Tate Ratledge, Marcus Mbow from Purdue and West Virginia’s Wyatt Milum could all fill a need for the Dolphins.
