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A Miami Dolphins first round pick was called out for his conditioning

One of the many reasons the Miami Dolphins disappointed in 2025 was the lack of production from their rookie class. Entering the season, the team placed a heavy load on their top two rookies Kenneth Grant and Jonah Savaiinaea as they were both expected to become serviceable starters for the team in Year 1.

As the team’s first-round pick, Grant was expected to replace the production of veteran Calais Campbell, who left the team in free agency. The year prior, Campbell had been among the best players on the entire Dolphins defense, but Grant arrived with high expectations as the No. 13 pick. Ultimately, he was unable to meet those expectations during his rookie season, and early reports have not been promising about a potential sophomore jump.

Former Miami Dolphins First Round Pick Called Out

While on The Dolphins Collective, Miami Herald writer Omar Kelly commented on Kenneth Grant and said, “Kenneth Grant needs to get in shape.” Kelly added, “When you look at Jordan Phillips’ body, that’s a guy who lives in the gym, then you look at Zeek Biggers’ weight loss, Zeek Biggers was the biggest defensive lineman, now he looks like a defensive end, why does Kenneth Grant look like Kenneth Grant?”

Kelly continued, “I’m not trying to shame nobody, if he was a nose tackle, which I thought he was at Michigan, then okay. But, is he a nose tackle? He looks like a nose tackle.”

However, Kelly did state that he was purely referring to how Grant looks, as he said, “I’m just talking about the shape, the look. He don’t look like Biggers, he don’t look like Jordan Phillips, he damn sure don’t look like Zach Sieler.” Dolphins On SI’s Alain Poupart added, “not terribly defined, let’s put it that way.”

Regarding Grant’s rookie season, Dolphins Wire’s Mike Masala previously wrote:
“His rookie year was a bit underwhelming, as he played 52% of the team’s defensive snaps in 17 games and recorded 33 tackles, five quarterback hits, two sacks and a pass defensed.”

Kenneth Grant’s Sophomore Season

As Masala said, Grant was underwhelming for the Dolphins last season. He was graded by Pro Football Focus as the No. 107 interior defensive lineman out of 134 qualifiers and finished as a below average pass rusher and run defender. 

Regarding what he’s doing to improve upon his rookie season, Grant previously said, “This offseason, I just really focused on being more of a football player. I’m focusing on my techniques and getting stronger in the weight room. I just really tried to focus on having quicker hands, better hands, and also getting off blocks.

Similarly to Year 1, the Dolphins will be asking a lot out of Grant. Dolphins on SI’s Jake Gibson commented on Grant’s potential role on the team as he wrote:

“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.”