Jeff Hafley said Kenneth Grant is starting to look more like the player he saw on college tape, a pointed vote of confidence for a first-round defender whose rookie season in 2025 fell short of the kind of impact Miami expected. Hafley said Grant has the lateral quickness, pass-rush ability and run-stopping traits that made him stand out before he reached the NFL.
The timing matters because Grant enters 2026 carrying the weight of a first season that produced 33 tackles, 4.5 run stuffs and two sacks. That was not the return the Dolphins were hoping for from a player they believed could change games up front, and it left his future line of growth as one of the clearest questions on the roster.
Hafley is Mike McDaniel's replacement, and his backing of Grant lands at a moment when Miami's defense needs more than optimism. The Dolphins ranked 26th in rushing yards allowed in 2025 and 26th in EPA allowed per pass attempt, a pair of numbers that point to a defense that was not just getting beat on the ground but also losing efficiency in coverage. When one of the league's biggest front-line bets looks better in practice or on tape, that carries more weight on a unit trying to climb out of the bottom third.
Grant's college résumé still explains why the comments matter. He was a major factor in Michigan's elite defenses in 2023 and 2024, when his size and burst translated into disruption that helped control games. The gap between that version of Grant and the one Miami got as a rookie is the story inside the story: the traits were visible, but the production did not yet follow.
There is also a subtle contradiction in the way the season ended and the way the next one is being framed. Grant's rookie year was underwhelming enough to invite doubt, yet Hafley is publicly forecasting a big 2026, which suggests the staff believes the issue was less about talent than about fit, timing or execution. If Grant does make the leap, it will not simply reflect his own development. It would also be the clearest sign that Miami's front can start to pull the defense back toward respectability.
For now, the message is simple. Grant is being asked to turn college tape into NFL production, and Hafley is betting the second year will look much more like the promise that made him a first-round pick in the first place.
