Kenneth Grant shows why Miami Dolphins drafted him in Bucs victory

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MIAMI GARDENS ― Miami Dolphins rookie defensive tackle Kenneth Grant showed why he was the 13th pick of the last NFL draft in a recent defeat of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Grant had four pressures, three tackles and two run stops.

"I felt like I had kind of a complete game, getting pressures and making running stops," Grant said. "But I definitely think there's a lot of things to fix on and definitely a lot of plays that I could have more finish on, so I just gotta keep focused on finishing those plays."

Grant, 22, had a slow start to this season, especially struggling in the first five weeks.

But he has steadily improved to where defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver views him as a building block of the future.

Grant had a career-high grade of 76 from Pro Football Focus against Tampa Bay.

What's led to improvement?

Grant says:

He's got a better grasp of Miami's scheme and what opponents are trying to do to him.

He's improved his eating habits and physical conditioning.

"I changed my diet, the heat and stuff helps with that," Grant said. "But I figured I'd get down a little bit, test it out the first couple games. I'd say (I've) probably (lost) about five pounds."

Miami Dolphins season: Kenneth Grant improving

Grant has two sacks as a rookie. He had 3 and 3.5 in his last two seasons at Michigan.

"Just steady working in practice, you know, that's the biggest thing, just working on things at practice, you know, taking it to the game," Grant said of how to refine pass rush.

It took Christian Wilkins a few years to reach his potential after the Dolphins drafted him.

Against the Bucs, the film showed that Grant - listed at 6-foot-3, 335 pounds - could deliver consistent power on the bull rush and chase the quarterback and running backs with quick pursuit.

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The effort has not been questioned since his arrival. In the last game, he was a disruptor.

More than anything, Miami has needed Grant to be a run-stopper.

It hasn't been perfect. But he's showed how he can make an impact against the run in games against the Browns, Bengals and Bucs.

"Definitely a lot of things to fix, but, you know, pretty good, but definitely a lot of things to fix for the most part," Grant said.

Miami Dolphins schedule: One more for rookie Kenneth Grant

Grant is not satisfied, overall, with how his first year went, which pleases the coaching staff.

"I would say not up to my standards," Grant said. "You know, my standard is, I set the standard high for myself, so you know, it was definitely a lot of things to work on. You know, still got to go out there and finish versus New England."

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Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Kenneth Grant: Miami Dolphins rookie season 'not up to my standards.'

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