INDIANAPOLIS - One of the conundrums faced by teams when it comes to drafting defensive tackles is if the player is really good at stopping the run, can he also give a team enough as a pass rusher to now allow himself to be taken out of a game?
For example, as good as former Steelers nose tackle Casey Hampton was against the run, opponents could dictate how much he played in a game simply by going to three wide receiver sets and forcing the Steelers to match their wide receivers on the field with a nickel defense.
Finding a nose tackle who also has pass rushing ability is key. The Steelers had that in Javon Hargrove, whom they selected in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
They feel they could have that in 2023 second-round draft pick Keeanu Benton, who has manned the team's nose tackle position the past two seasons.
But adding another player to that equation who might allow Benton to perhaps become a defensive end and not be forced to play nose tackle could be something in which the Steelers are interested in accomplishing in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Fortunately, this particular draft has a number of players who might offer that prospect.
"This is a really good draft for the defensive line," Steelers general manager Omar Khan said.
And topping the list of players who might step in and make an immediate impact for the Steelers is Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant.
A 6-foot-3, 342-pound defensive lineman, Grant offers the flexibility to have the size and run-stuffing ability to be a true nose tackle, while also offering enough athleticism to rush the passer situationally. Grant had 6.5 sacks the past two seasons for the Wolverines.
"I'm a 3-down player for sure," Grant said here Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. "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'll get an opportunity to put that athleticism on display Thursday when the defensive linemen take the field at Lucas Oil Stadium for their on-field workouts.
The Steelers haven't selected a defensive lineman in the first round of the draft since taking Cam Heyward with the 31st pick in 2011. If they want a player such as Grant, they would likely have to take him with their first-round pick this year, which is 21st – if he lasts that long.
"I met with the Steelers," Grant said of his interviews here in Indianapolis. "Very serious. They want competitors. They want dudes that are ready to go."
Another such player in whom the Steelers showed interest is Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon.
Harmon (6-5, 310 pounds) transferred from Michigan State to Oregon last season and recorded 45 tackles and 5 sacks.
Also considered a first-round talent, he also had a formal meeting with the Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin here.
"That's a great guy," Harmon said of Tomlin. "That's a guy you can sit down and have an hour talk with, two hour talk with, talk ball, talk live. Just a great guy to talk to."
Those are two potential first-round defensive tackles, while Walter Nolen of Mississippi and Michigan's Mason Graham also fall into that category. Beyond that, as Khan said, the draft is deep with defensive line prospects.
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NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said he has 24 defensive linemen available this year whom he has graded as potential starters. Last year, that number was 12.
With Heyward now 35 and the way the Steelers finished the season, allowing more than 200 yards rushing to the Ravens in a late season loss and then again in the postseason, adding defensive line depth is a must.
"It starts with stopping the run, and we didn't do that down the stretch," team president Art Rooney II said at his season-ending press conference. "We need to figure out how we get stronger. Hopefully with a defensive front."
