The NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin is less than three weeks away. The information that can be gathered on the hundreds of draft-eligible prospects is all but done, and the shortlist of players the Packers are likely to be zeroing in on can now be compiled.
Looking at the first round specifically, there are only so many players likely to be available to Green Bay at pick 23 who also fit their preferences and make sense based on their current roster.
One of the most logical first round picks for the Packers is Michigan’s Kenneth Grant.
Ranked 22nd on the consensus big board at the time of writing, one pick ahead of the Packers, Grant is a 6-3 ½”, 331-pound defensive tackle who could add some much-needed heft to their front.
He is still only 21 years old, comes from a Michigan program Green Bay has picked from in the past, and is an asset against both the run and the pass, which is something of a prerequisite for the Packers, who covet versatility.
Over the last two seasons, Grant has a PFF run defense grade of 80.3 and a pass rush grade of 76.9. He has 8.0 sacks and 50 pressures. While the pass rush production is not top tier, it is plenty good enough for a defensive tackle of his type.
Grant’s 7.16 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) is considerably lower than any player Brian Gutekunst has drafted in the first round, but when qualified as a nose tackle rather than a defensive tackle, this jumps to 8.34.
Crucially, he has the explosive traits the Packers look for in nose tackle types.
Going back to the days of Ted Thompson, Green Bay has drafted three defensive tackles weighing 330 lbs or more since 2009; B.J. Raji, T.J. Slaton and Jonathan Ford.
While Slaton was an impressive athlete for his size, registering a 7.96 RAS, Raji and Ford only scored a 4.33 and 3.55 respectively.
Two of the three were "bad" athletes, but the one thing they all had in common? A vertical jump of at least 29 inches, which ranks in the 58th percentile at the DT position, an impressive feat for a plus-sized lineman. For nose tackles, a 29" vert ranks in the 67th percentile.
It is a small sample size, but it sticks out like a sore thumb on an RAS card which is otherwise full of red. It is enough of a trend to indicate that although the Packers do not expect their nose tackle types to run fast or be nimble in the agility drills, they want them to display explosiveness.
Grant managed a 31” vert, ranking in the 87th percentile for nose tackles. Box ticked.
It also helps Grant’s case that he completed all the athletic testing, which seemingly fewer potential first round picks are doing with each passing year. If there are any athletic tests the Packers really care about at defensive tackle, they have all the information they need on Grant.
There is no guesswork required regarding his athleticism, which is impressive on tape more importantly. He has quickness and explosiveness to win early in run defense or as a pass rusher.
Grant possesses the power to win in a more slow burn fashion as a rusher, and when he is disciplined in run defense, which comes and goes, he can make himself very difficult to move.
Slaton left in free agency, Kenny Clark is coming off a down year, highly paid and turning 30, and Devonte Wyatt is entering the final year of his rookie contract, unless his fifth-year option is picked up.
Defensive line is a clear position where Green Bay could restock the cupboard early in the 2025 draft, and Grant is a prime candidate to be the pick at 23.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire:
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