Dolphins’ Grier, McDaniel address Grant pick, Ramsey trade situation, more
Dolphins general manager Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel weighed in on the selection of Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant with the 13th overall pick in Thursday’s draft:
▪ Grier, asked if Miami tried to trade down or wanted to stay at 13 for Grant: “We were excited to get him there. We were working the phones the whole process. At 8 or 9, you’re always working the phones. We were actively trying to do it. We waited. We had a couple calls, listening to people. We weren’t completely closed off if an opportunity came.... After we picked him, I got three texts from teams below us saying this was their guy.
“We think Kenneth is a tremendous player. He can be a potential impact player for us, made of the right stuff. We are very happy to add him to the roster. Defensive tackle was a big need. We don’t view him as just a run stopper... It’s not always about sacks. The ability to push the pocket in the middle is a huge thing in the NFL. He has tremendous work ethic to do that.”
▪ Grier on his conditioning (He’s listed at 331 by nfl.com, played last season at 345 and reportedly has played at 350 at times): “The college game is a lot faster. A lot of no huddle offense. The weight with us --- we got to know him in the offseason and what he played at - we’re not concerned with it. We did a lot of background studies and information gathering and feel very comfortable with him. Talking to people at Michigan, they didn’t view it as an issue.”
▪ Grier said owner Stephen Ross, a Michigan alum, “was very, very happy” with the Grant pick and was playing the Michigan fight song. “He was very happy to add our first Michigan player in the first round since 2008” when Jake Long was selected first overall by Bill Parcells.
▪ McDaniel on Grant: “You can play various light boxes at times and can have versatility. A guy that can draw some attention from some other really good players. If you can add really good players at the line of scrimmage... we’re excited about that. We jumped on that with elation.... He has been on our mind for a long time. We overly, thoroughly vetted.”
▪ McDaniel said Zach Sieler told McDaniel that “he heard Michigan guys are hard workers.”
▪ Grier, on pairing Grant with Sieler: “I’m excited about it. He’s a good player. Kenneth Grant and [Cleveland Browns fifth overall pick and former Michigan defensive lineman] Mason Graham did a good job. They’re a hard team to run on. The kid just turned 21 years old. When he came here, and sat with Mike for a half hour, he was really excited. For a big guy, he has twitch or explosion. He has traits that will translate well to the NFL.”
▪ Grier, on filling other needs: “There are a number of really good free agents we’ve been in touch with. We will be looking at need but not strictly need [in the final six rounds]. Looking at good football players.”
▪ Grier, on cornerbacks available in the draft after round one: “It’s a deeper group of guys. Corners come through all rounds. Kansas City has picked [good corners] fifth through seventh rounders. San Francisco has... It’s a good draft with a lot of talented players.”
▪ Does Grier prefer to wait until after June 1 to trade Jalen Ramsey because the cap hit is lower? Grier said not necessarily: “We are open to everything, whenever the right opportunity comes.”
This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 10:07 PM.
