INDIANAPOLIS — Bigger is better as far as Kenneth Grant is concerned.

One of the largest specimens at the NFL Combine, the junior defensive tackle from Michigan stands 6-foot-3 and tips the scales at 342 pounds.

He has the size to fit squarely in the middle of an NFL team’s defensive line, and he is one of the players the Pittsburgh Steelers are scouting with the No. 21 overall pick.

To Grant, though, he’s more than just a big body who stands out among his peers.

“I think I’m more athletic than some of these guys,” Grant said Wednesday during media interviews at the annual scouting combine. “There are some pretty good athletes in this class. And I’m intelligent. I know a lot of football.”

Grant has gotten chances to share his knowledge with teams during informal and formal meetings that are conducted here. That includes the Steelers.

“Very serious,” Grant said, describing the formal meeting. “They want competitors. They want dudes that are ready to go.”

Restocking the defensive line became a priority for the Steelers after the Baltimore Ravens rushed for 299 yards against them in an AFC wild-card playoff game. That came on the heels of a December meeting in which the Ravens gained 220 rushing yards against the Steelers.

“It’s important,” general manager Omar Khan said a day earlier when asked about improving the line.

Like many scouts and talent evaluators, Khan ranks the defensive line prospects as one of the premier position groups in this year’s draft class.

The top prospect is Michigan’s Mason Graham, who is projected to go in the top five to seven picks. His former Wolverines teammate Grant is among four other defensive linemen who could be in play for the Steelers, the others being Mississippi’s Walter Nolen, Oregon’s Derrick Harmon and Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart.

NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has seven defensive linemen among his top 50 prospects, including Florida State’s Joshua Farmer at No. 41 and Toledo’s Darius Alexander at No. 50.

Grant, who is listed at No. 20 in Jeremiah’s most recent rankings, wants to boost his stock Thursday when defensive linemen work out at Lucas Oil Stadium. He boasted of trying to run the 40-yard dash in under 5.0 seconds, and he wants to exceed 30 reps in the bench press.

After weighing as much as 345 pounds last season at Michigan, Grant said he has dropped to 332.

“I definitely feel better,” he said. “I’m agile, faster, but I’m also a little stronger.”

The Steelers haven’t taken a nose tackle in the first round since Casey Hampton in 2000. With the Steelers playing about 75% of their snaps in subpackage defense, the nose tackle has become a devalued position in their scheme.

That may no longer be the case given the way the Ravens exploited them in December and January.

Grant thinks he can make an argument for never coming off the field.

“I’m a three-down player, for sure,” he said. “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.”

The last defensive lineman to be selected in the first round by the Steelers was Cameron Heyward in 2011. Still going strong at age 36 and coming off an All-Pro season, Heyward would have a willing pupil in the event the Steelers take Harmon at No. 21.

Harmon, ranked No. 26 by Jeremiah, said he patterns his game after Heyward.

“The run, how he plays the run,” Harmon said. “If I want to watch some run tape, I’m turning on Cam Heyward.”

Harmon said he weighs 317 pounds, which is 2 pounds heavier than his playing weight last season for the Ducks.

“I’ve got a dog in me,” he said. “I’m a real gritty player. I’m just trying to get to the ball and make a play.”

At 295 pounds, Nolen is one of the lightest defensive linemen expected to go in the first round. He said he has spent his interview time with teams trying to convince them he can also play outside as well as the interior of the line.

“I get off the ball better than a lot of people,” said Nolen, who came in at No. 27 on Jeremiah’s list. “A lot of people probably want to play one position. I want to play every position.”

At 6-3, Nolen is a slightly larger version of Aaron Donald, the former Pitt star and three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year with the Los Angeles Rams.

“His violence and how fast he gets off the ball,” Nolen said when asked why he compares favorably to Donald. “His motor. I feel like I’ll bring some of those same things to whatever team I go to.”

Stewart weighed 285 pounds last season and is projected to play more at the defensive end position even though he had just 4 1/2 career sacks in three seasons. He believes he can help teams with stopping the run.

“If you can’t run defend, you can’t pass rush,” he said. “If you want to be just a pass rusher and can’t run defend, how are you going to get on the field?”

Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at [email protected].