Letting TJ Slaton depart in free agency would be a big loss for the Green Bay Packers.
Literally.
Listed at 330 pounds, Slaton is 16 pounds heavier than Kenny Clark’s listed weight of 314. Devonte Wyatt is listed at 304 and the others are less than 300.
Without Slaton, the Packers’ defensive line would look like a vintage Wendy’s commercial.
“Where’s the beef?”
In a new mock draft by The Ringer, the Packers selected Michigan defensive lineman Kenneth Grant, a “chaos creator” who is listed at 6-foot-3 and 339 pounds.
Not only will he eat up space but he’ll get in the backfield to devour opposing running backs.
“Grant is huge and does well taking on blocks and mucking things up for opposing run games,” the author wrote. “But he moves with more twitch and explosiveness than most players his size, which gives him some added value as a pass rusher and pocket disruptor. He’ll fit right in on Green Bay’s front.”
A two-year starter, Grant had 3.5 sacks, five tackles for losses and five pass deflections in 2023, when Michigan won the national championship, and three sacks, seven tackles for losses and five pass deflections in 2024.
Grant was second-team all-Big Ten in 2023 and 2024 and a third-team All-American in 2024.
Grant is the consensus second-best interior defensive lineman in the draft behind only his Michigan sidekick, Mason Graham.
NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared him to … Slaton.
As one scout told Zierlein: “He was a little inconsistent on tape (in 2024) but he’s going to be a freaky tester and guys with that size and those numbers are really hard to find.”
As a pass rusher, Grant relies on overwhelming size and surprising athleticism but will need some coaching to put it all together. However, if the idea is to maintain an elite run defense – or even improve on it – Grant would fit.
“He’s a very dominant run defender,” NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah wrote in his initial list of the top 50 draft prospects. “He easily holds the point of attack, despite playing with a high pad level. I love his effort and awareness to chase down screens.”
While he dominated at times, it wasn’t all the time.
“Overall,” Jeremiah concluded, “there is some assembly required, but his physical tools are very loud and worth the investment.”
One of Grant’s highlight plays was all about effort. Against Penn State in 2023, he ran down Penn State running back Kaytron Allen to prevent a 75-yard touchdown.
“Kenneth Grant running down the running back in that game, I was up off my feet,” said Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh, who watched the game from a hotel. “One of the best plays of the season, that play by Kenneth Grant. Maybe one of the best plays ever.
“Compare it to the play Justin Smith made against the Eagles my first year coaching at the 49ers. It was a guardian-of-victory type of play. Kenneth was dominant in the game. He was the real tone-setter right from the first series. He's playing great. Only a sophomore. Tremendous.”
Grant’s always had speed, dating to when he was in elementary school and had to run down the bus or face the wrath of his mom.
And then he got big.
“Every game, the parents were like, ‘That’s a grown man. Did we weigh him in? Where’s his birth certificate?’” his mom, Ewana, told The Michigan Daily. “So, he’s been getting that since like 8 or 9 when he first started.”
How valuable was Slaton to Green Bay’s defense? He started 17 games for the second consecutive season. When he was on the field, the run defense was better.
Much better.
Perhaps Grant would be even better. He was No. 3 on Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks” list for The Athletic.
“Given his size, his strength, his speed, his quickness, his ability to change direction, the effort that he displays, I’d say (he’s) a freak,” Michigan strength and conditioning coach Justin Tress told The Michigan Daily.
