How Dolphins 2025 Top Pick Kenneth Grant Is Getting Ready for His Second Season

Two days before the start of the 2026 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins' first-round pick last yaer Kenneth Grant was kicking off with his teammates a three-day veteran minicamp.

Heading ito his second season with Miami, the 13th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft knows there will be bigger expectations for him. His rookie season had promise, but there are a lot of questions that need to be answered.

He had some moments, finishing with 33 total tackles and two sacks. But overall Pro Football Focus did not grade Grant favorably — a 48.4, ranking him 107th out of 134 eligible defensive players.

After starting five games as a rookie, Grant will be competing for a full-time starting position alongside veteran Zach Sieler. He’ll have now until Week 1 to prove that he has what it takes to become an anchor for the defensive line for 2026 and beyond.

Grant knows he's not a rookie anymore, and that's the main change. Last year, he was a talent coming out of Michigan looking for a spot on an NFL team. That’s not the case anymore.

“This offseason, I just really focused on being more of a football player," Grant said during a Zoom media session Tuesday. "Last year, I was training for the combine. It’s different when you're in ‘football shape’ rather than ‘combine shape.’ I’m focusing on my techniques and getting stronger in the weight room.”

Grant emphasized the weight room. Listed as 6-3, 335 pounds on Miami's website, he’s aiming to bulk up and get stronger.

Aside from bulking up, Grant is keying in on the fundamentals. For him, that’s doing more with his hands as the play develops, getting off of opposing linemen to better cause havoc.

“I just really tried to focus on having quicker hands, better hands, and also getting off blocks.”

Paving The Way For New Rooks

The mind-set of not being a rookie anymore is bringing in a whole new level of confidence in Grant.

“I know what to expect now," he said. "I'm not a rookie anymore, so I kind of know what the deal is and how things are going to be operated.”

To that end, Grant is more than willing to become a mentor for the upcoming rookie class, now knowing what that whole process was like for him.

“It's just all about sharing that wisdom," he said. "Sharing different experiences that I went through, and just letting guys know that I'm there for them. Anything is possible, and they could do whatever they put their mind to.”

Everyone’s Even Under Hafley

Grant is dealing with something alongside every other returner, a new head coach in Jeff Hafley. Grant said he's just starting to learn about how his new coach wants things done.

It’s also worth noting that one of five returning members of Miami’s coaching staff happens to be defensive line coach Austin Clark.

Something that Grant already is anticipating is a defensive system that’s similar to what Hafley ran when he was the defensive coordinator with the Green Bay Packers. While avoiding specifics, he says that he’s ready for whatever Hafley calls on defense.

“We're gonna grind blocks," Grant said. "We're gonna provide that violent mentality. And we're gonna make plays. That's what we're here for. Be football players, and that's what we're going to do.”

If Miami truly can replicate what Green Bay was able to accomplish, it’ll be an improvement. In the past two seasons, Hafley’s defense was a top-10 unit in the NFL in terms of points per game, yards per game, takeaways, yards per rush, and QB pressures.

Conveniently, two of the newcomers to Miami's defense hail from the maize and blue of Michigan — linebackers Josh Uche and David Ojabo. Grant said that the chemistry should be there off the rip.

“When I was a recruit, Ojabo was my chaperone," Grant said. "I kind of knew him from that. Uche’s one of the Michigan greats. We have all their posters in our D line room at Michigan, so I always kind of knew about those guys.”

As it turned out, Uche was Ojabo's host during his recruiting visit to Michigan, just as Ojabo did the same for Grant.

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