With the 21st pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers will select DL Kenneth Grant, Gerry Dulac predicts. Grant is one of three defensive linemen the Steelers might draft in the first round, each with his own advantages. For Grant, he has a rare combination of size and athleticism and would be the best against the run.
For the record, I also predicted that the Steelers will draft Kenneth Grant, so between Dulac and me, that basically guarantees it won’t happen. Although I did predict that they would draft Broderick Jones, Keeanu Benton, and Nick Herbig in 2023.
Grant is one of the obvious possibilities for the Steelers, either way, so Dulac’s selection is no surprise. In a previous video, he said that the team views the Michigan product as position-flexible and capable of playing in the nickel. He reiterated that in his article predicting their first-round pick.
“Grant will solve a problem that has bothered the Steelers since their playoff loss in Baltimore”, he wrote. Earlier in the article, he referred to their loss to the Ravens allowing 299 rushing yards as the final straw. “It will be a necessary step toward rebuilding an aging line that was bullied and exposed by their main division rival”.
The last time the Steelers drafted a defensive lineman in the first round, they selected Cameron Heyward. Heyward is the player they are looking to replace now, or rather, in the near future. He is still under contract for two more seasons, but his play may decline at any time. Going into his 15th NFL season, he is coming off an All-Pro year, but how long can it last? That’s why most predict the Steelers will draft a defensive lineman, whether Kenneth Grant or someone else.
The question many have when it comes to Grant in particular is whether he would play enough to warrant the Steelers using a first-round pick on him. In the Steelers’ 3-4 front, Grant would be a nose tackle, but he can also play three-tech in the nickel. And the reality is, they and just about every other team now play a nickel front as their “base”. In my view, the only hypothetical limitation to his snap count is his endurance.
Defensive line isn’t the only path the Steelers may take in the first round, though, with quarterback, running back, and perhaps wide receiver also in consideration. If a superior talent at a less-obvious position of need falls, too, they would have to consider it. But Kenneth Grant certainly fits what the Steelers have wanted to do in recent years. It would be hard to pass him up if available at 21, let alone trade back from him.
