Where’s the Beef? With Packers in New NFL Mock Draft

In a new mock draft, the Green Bay Packers replaced TJ Slaton with one of the biggest and most athletic defensive linemen in the draft.

Michigan defensive lineman Kenneth Grant talks to reporters at the Scouting Combine. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Fans of a certain age will remember the Wendy’s ad in which an old woman stares at a hamburger and asks, “Where’s the beef?”

You can possibly imagine Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley looking at his defensive line depth chart and asking the same question.

The Packers fielded one of the best run defenses in the NFL last season, with 340-pound TJ Slaton providing the beef in the middle. With Slaton having signed with the Bengals in free agency, Green Bay’s defensive line is a bit like that little burger patty in the Wendy’s commercial.

In a new NFL mock draft for The Draft Network, Jamie Eisner provided the beef with Michigan’s Kenneth Grant. The stud defensive tackle measured 6-foot-3 5/8 and 331 pounds at the Scouting Combine. His 10-yard split and vertical jump showed off his explosiveness.

“Kenneth Grant is a true disrupter on the interior of the defensive line and can be a player the Packers build around as Kenny Clark ages,” Eisner wrote. “Grant is a high-level athlete with the ability to dominate offensive linemen.”

The Packers lost Slaton in free agency this offseason, Clark is coming off a down season and will turn 30 in October and Devonte Wyatt could be a free agent next offseason, depending on what the team does with his fifth-year option. So, Grant would fill needs immediate and long term.

Grant was a fortress in the middle of the Wolverines’ powerful defense. During his final two seasons, he had 61 tackles, which included 6.5 sacks and 12 tackles for losses. He also swatted aside 10 passes. While run defense is his calling card, he was a decent 26th out of 92 in pass-rush win rate among draft-eligible defensive tackles who played at least 250 pass-rushing snaps.

“Just massive. He’s a people mover,” NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said in a conference call before the Scouting Combine. “Talking to the folks where he has been doing a lot of his training, at 340 pounds, he should not be able to move around like that. You’re hoping and dreaming on this Dexter Lawrence-type ascension for him once he gets to the NFL. Hasn’t put it all together, but it’s all in there.”

Grant said “power” is the strength of his game. He Dexter Lawrence and Vita Vea as defensive tackles he likes to watch.

He takes “a lot of pride” in his run defense, he said at the Scouting Combine. “We always pride ourselves as D-linemen to stop the run first and that gives us the ability to rush the passer. It goes hand in hand.”

He added, “I’m a three-down player, for sure. I can rush the passer with my strength and a little bit of finesse in there. Most guys think I’m just a run stopper, but I’m super-athletic and can rush the passer.”

He was No. 3 on Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks” list. The speed was evident on this legendary play against Penn State, which Jim Harbaugh called “maybe one of the best plays ever.”

Who did the Packers pass up? While edge defenders Mykel Williams and Shemar Stewart were long gone, Donovan Ezeiruaku and Landon Jackson went at the bottom of the round. Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon had been picked, as well.

What about the receivers? Arizona’s Tet McMillan and Texas’ Matthew Golden were off the board. Michigan’s Will Johnson and Texas’ Jahdae Barron were the only cornerbacks off the board.