Ranking Dolphins Top 25 Players: A New Man in the Middle

The Miami Dolphins selected Kenneth Grant in the first round of this year's draft and will expect him to contribute right away.

Michigan defensive lineman Kenneth Grant (78) celebrates a tackle against USC during the first half at Michigan Stadium. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins are entering a critical season in 2025. After missing the playoffs last season and not making any blockbuster moves this offseason, the team is under a lot of pressure to finally get over the hump in the playoffs. 

With that in mind, it seems like an excellent time to rank the Dolphins’ top 25 players heading into the 2025 season. This list was voted on by site publisher Alain Poupart (@PoupartNFL), deputy editor Dante Collinelli (@DanteCollinelli) and contributor Jake Mendel (@JMendel94).

The rankings were compiled separately based on a points system. That system awarded 25 points to the first player in each writer’s top 25, 24 to the second player, 23 to the third player, and so on. 

17. Kenneth Grant, Interior Defensive Lineman 

The Miami Dolphins’ most recent first-round pick cracks our top 20 without playing a single NFL snap. Kenneth Grant was selected 13th overall to help solidify an interior defensive line room that has seen significant turnover in recent years, outside of Zach Sieler. 

At 6-3, 339 pounds, Grant is built like a massive nose tackle, and he’ll definitely get some reps in that spot. However, he’s much more than that. 

Last season, he played just 97 of his 543 total snaps at nose tackle, according to Pro Football Focus. Grant had 368 snaps in the B-gap (lined up over an opposing guard), a position usually reserved for a player with a lot of athleticism. 

Grant’s speed and effort to make plays near the line of scrimmage and downfield prove that he can do more than just anchor blockers in the middle of the field.

Nose tackles don’t move as well as Grant does, and they don’t usually have the stamina he showed at Michigan. For the Dolphins, this means Grant can play every position on the interior. 

If they want him to play nose, he’s got the strength and size to do it, but he can also win with quickness and athleticism from the B-gap.

The big question for Grant will be how much he can develop as a pass rusher as a rookie. His athletic profile and size give him a nice floor, but if he’s going to produce a lot of pressures and sacks at the NFL level, he’ll have to become more consistent with his hands. 

Adding different pass-rush moves and improving strike timing doesn’t happen overnight, so we would caution fans against having huge expectations for Grant’s pass-rush numbers this season. 

The Dolphins don’t need Grant to be an elite pass rusher this season, though, as players like Zach Sieler, Chop Robinson, Jaelan Phillips, and Bradley Chubb are more than capable of carrying that unit. 

If Grant does his job against the run and makes a few splash plays throughout the season, he’ll rank higher on this list next year. 

Full Rankings

No. 25: Malik Washington | No. 24: Willie Gay Jr. | No.23: Benito Jones | No. 22: Patrick Paul | No. 21: Jonah Savaiinaea | No. 20: Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | No. 19: Ifeatu Melifonwu | No. 18: Tyrel Dodson | No. 17 Kenneth Grant | No. 16: Alec Ingold | No. 15: Kader Kohou | No. 14: Austin Jackson | No. 13: Jason Sanders | No. 12: Chop Robinson | No. 11: Aaron Brewer

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