The Pittsburgh Steelers have a hole along their defensive line, and the team hasn’t really addressed it outside of depth signings in free agency. With a strong defensive line class in the 2025 NFL Draft, it’s expected the Steelers will prioritize the position, and NFL.com’s Eric Edholm has the team doing so in the first round. In Edholm’s second mock draft, he has the Steelers selecting Michigan DT Kenneth Grant.
“The Steelers have spent ample resources on the offensive line over the past few drafts and now must turn their attention to the other side of the trenches,” Edholm writes. “The 330-pound Grant would fill a massive need inside, with Cameron Heyward turning 36 in May.”
Grant already has the approval of Heyward, who said that the 6035, 331-pounder “looks like an alien.”
“I think he’s more of a nose/d-tackle type. Big, like freakishly big where he looks like an alien next to a lot of the other guys,” Heyward said on his Not Just Football podcast. “And I think he plays with his hands well, really good motor.”
The Steelers held a formal meeting with Grant at the Combine, and his intriguing size (he measured in with 33 1/2-inch arms) makes him a viable option to play nose tackle for the Steelers. That could allow them to kick Keeanu Benton out to defensive end, which may help increase his production.
Grant has had five passes defensed each of the last two seasons at Michigan, while also racking up 12 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks. With the Steelers’ defensive line getting gashed to the tune of 299 rushing yards in the team’s Wild Card Round loss to the Baltimore Ravens, adding someone like Grant who can plug the run and brings enough pass-rush juice would be a nice get for Pittsburgh at No. 21 overall.
Given that Pittsburgh hasn’t done much to address its defensive line in free agency, it should be the favorite to be the team’s first-round selection. While quarterback has been mocked to the Steelers recently and running back can’t be ruled out, their need at defensive line is probably their biggest, and with how the defense played down the stretch last year, it’s an area that needs to improve.
Heyward was far and away the team’s best defensive lineman last season, but he’s not getting any younger and the Steelers need to find his eventual replacement. In a deep class like this one, they have the opportunity to do so with a talented prospect in the first round, and Kenneth Grant checks a lot of boxes.
