Tag: Mason Graham

Browns beef up defensive interior with elite Michigan man in new mock draft

Mason Graham would be a slam dunk pick for the Browns

The Cleveland Browns may turn to another defensive tackle to pair with Mike Hall Jr. early in the 2025 NFL draft, and Michigan’s Mason Graham has been commonly right in their crosshairs in mock draft exercises.

He and Missouri’s Luther Burden III tend to be the most common pairings with Cleveland early on.

That was no different in a new mock draft done at Daft on Draft. In their latest full first round mock draft, the Browns landed Graham to bulk up their defensive interior that consists mostly of aging veterans outside of Hall Jr. Here is what Daft on Draft had to say on the selection with pick No. 7:

“The Cleveland Browns could not have imagined a worse season for having the highest-paid roster in the NFL. Sitting with a top-10 pick with their first first round pick in three years, they somehow get a blue-chip player to fall in their laps.”

Sitting in the top-10, the Browns should not focus on a particular position but rather take a blue chip player if he falls in their laps. Graham is one of perhaps four blue chip players who could get knocked down the board by quarterback-needy teams.

It would be a home run pick if Graham found his way to Northeast Ohio.

Top defensive player in CFB declares for 2025 NFL draft

Mason Graham is the most complete defensive player in the draft.

On Tuesday, ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter posted on X that Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham has decided to forgo his senior season and declare for the 2025 NFL draft. This per his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

Graham is the best defensive player in all of college football and the most complete defender in the entire draft. This is with all due respect to guys like Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Penn State’s Abdul Carter and Georgia’s Malaki Starks but none of them are better at what they do than Graham is at what he can do.

 

Graham’s skill set gives him the potential to be a Chris Jones-type of impact player from the jump in his career. He’s a powerhouse at the point of attack, incredibly athletic and plays 1,000 miles an hour on every snap. Rosenhaus says he expects Graham to be selected in the top five picks and we have no reason to believe otherwise. If you aren’t a team that needs a quarterback, Graham is the best pick.

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Michigan football star DT Mason Graham declares for NFL draft

Maybe the best to ever do it in a winged helmet. #GoBlue

Once upon a time, you only heard about what a player what going to do the following year in the new year. But, we live in a new world as it pertains to college football.

Michigan football has four standout players who are expected to be first-round NFL draft picks and you cannot expect any of them to play in the Dec. 31 ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama. And now we know that’s true of one player.

At the time of his commitment to the Wolverines, Mason Graham was not a ballyhooed recruit. He was a high three-star or low four-star, depending on the recruiting service. But he leaves Ann Arbor after three years as the best defensive tackle in football and perhaps the best that Michigan has ever had.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Graham is declaring for the NFL draft and will forgo his final year of intercollegiate eligibility.

 


With Graham departing, the Wolverines will likely rely on a mixture of Rayshaun Benny (assuming he doesn’t declare), Trey Pierce, Ike Iwunnah, and Enow Etta in the middle of the line.

Mason Graham scouting report: What the Michigan DT can bring to the NFL

For our next scouting report, we take a look at one of the most powerful forces in college football—Michigan DT Mason Graham.

Having allowed the most points per game and second-most yards per game entering Week 14, the Carolina Panthers are in line for some heavy construction on defense this offseason.

Their shortcomings can be attributed to a number of factors—including the lack of a pass rush, the lack of adequate talent on the defensive trench and the lack of their best player, Pro Bowl lineman Derrick Brown. So as they certainly look to fill those voids this spring, the Panthers could have a pretty special prospect in their sights—University of Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham.

Graham is undoubtedly one of the best players in college football, and was a key part of the Wolverines’ national championship run last season.  And he’s about to add to that trophy case—one that already includes a Second-Team All-American selection, two First-Team All-Big Ten nods and the 2024 Rose Bowl Defensive MVP honors.

As the Panthers remain in striking distance for the dominant standout in the current draft order, let’s take a look at what Graham could bring to Carolina . . .

Strengths

raham, at 6-foot-3 and 318 pounds, is built like a shed with a thick lower half and a stout upper half frame. What’s impressive about this is that a man of his size offers incredible athleticism, flexibility and short-area quickness that will stress out opposing blockers.

Graham is a player whose motor is flaming hot. This has allowed him to make plays in the backfield off pure effort and hustle alone.

His explosiveness and initial get-off will put a strain on guards and force them to either overset or lean into their blocks on occasion. Graham takes advantage of this using powerful hands to shock linemen and compromise their anchor.

When he can keep his pads low, Graham will play with outstanding leverage—and it allows him to fit his hands into the opposing chest plates and work off of blocks. His stout anchor and wide base allow him to be a force against the run and maintain gap integrity.

He is certainly an assertive defensive tackle who will rarely get pushed around, as his performance against Ohio State at the end of the regular season showed.

While he still has room to grow as a pass rusher, Graham offers the alignment versatility, change of direction and hip flexibility to turn the corner around the arc and attack the quarterback. He offers a couple of go-to rush moves such as an arm-over and hand swipe that allows him to get by blockers quickly.

His explosiveness allows him to establish half-man relationships and to set blockers up to attack their inside leverage.

Weaknesses

As talented as Graham is, he is still an evolving and developing player. He’ll sometimes play too high with his pads and compromise his ability to anchor and establish a wide, firm base at the point of attack.

He also doesn’t have the biggest reach and limited tackle radius, And while that isn’t a significant detriment to his game, it is something to keep an eye on during his professional career.

While Graham has been able to win on effort, his ability to finish as a pass rusher is a work in progress. He is more of a burst—a quick defender who can run out of steam from time to time.

He must also add more to his pass-rush arsenal. But the way he wins now already provides him with a high ceiling in this phase.

The Verdict

During the pre-draft process, questions will arise about Graham’s positional value and whether he is worth a top-five or top-10 draft selection. However, like Quinnen Williams and Derrick Brown before him, Graham’s talent speaks for itself.

An NFL defense will get better, especially against the run, almost immediately because of his power at the point of attack, stout anchor, quickness and gap integrity. Again, when his pads are low, he is near-unstoppable. That is what is missing from the Panthers defense this year.

Graham is a scheme-versatile interior lineman who projects as a dual-gap defender and immediate impact starter with the upside to be an eight-to-10 sack guy.

If the front office were to draft Graham, he and Derrick Brown would be quite a formidable duo in the middle of Carolina’s defense.

More scouting reports

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Dane Brugler’s new mock draft gives Myles Garrett a best friend

The Michigan man would be a stellar addition

Could the Cleveland Browns and defensive tackle Mason Graham be a match made in heaven in the NFL draft?

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler submitted his first mock draft of the season on Tuesday. He chose the Browns’ Michigan defensive lineman to pair with Myles Garrett in the pass rush. The Browns are currently slated to pick eighth overall.

For some, it’s a tad early for draft season but for others like the Browns, it’s like an early Christmas as certain teams look to add their next star in April’s draft.

Graham is a disruptive playmaker on the line who doesn’t need to come off the field with the pass rush savvy and lane discipline to clog the run game. On top of being a core piece of Michigan’s 2023 National Championship, he’s also been a first-team All-Big Ten and a second-team All-American. Graham won’t turn 22 until the start of next season, so you’re getting an incredible blend of youth and experience with this selection.

The Browns have needed some firepower alongside Garrett for a while now. They had signed Za’Darius Smith who filled in the pass rush on the opposite side admirably but they would trade him and his contract at the deadline.

Otherwise, Smith had been a part of a trend of finding fill-in pass rushers to compliment Garrett. Over the past five years, this has included names like; Smith, Jadeveon Clowney, Olivier Vernon, and Sheldon Richardson, none of which surpassed double-digit sacks.

Brugler used current draft standings, leading to the Browns taking Graham at nine overall. Notably, the Browns pass on wide receivers like Tetairoa McMillan and Luther Burden in his mock, as well as another Michigan defender in cornerback Will Johnson. If upgrading the pass rush is the goal this draft for the Browns then they’re in luck, Brugler had three edge rushers going right before then which led to Graham dropping. There should be plenty of high-level options to bolster the defensive line.

Assuming the Browns don’t trade out of the first round entirely, this will be their first-round selection since Greg Newsome in 2021. Cleveland currently owns 10 picks next year from several different trades, so we could see an aggressive draft with all the excess ammo they possess.

Kenneth Grant proving he’s more than Mason Graham’s sidekick at Michigan

Kenneth Grant proving he’s a viable first-round talent in the 2025 NFL Draft on his own and more than Mason Graham’s sidekick at Michigan

Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham has been a staple in the first half of the first round of 2025 NFL mock drafts since the college season started. And deservedly so; Graham is a menacing, technically proficient and disruptive headache for opposing offenses.

Graham isn’t the only premium prospect along that Wolverines defensive front, however. In Saturday’s upset win in Columbus, Kenneth Grant showed Ohio State and the scouting world that he is more than just a beneficiary of playing next to a star like Graham.

Grant was the best player on the field for either team in Michigan’s suffocating defensive performance in a game where it’s feasible that as many as 17 of the defensive starters between the two teams will be drafted into the NFL at some point. Ohio State couldn’t block Grant, period.

 

Grant finished the game with five QB pressures per PFF, which the stats service notes is the most QB pressures by any defensive interior player for the entire week. He’s been doing it all season, however.

 

The 339-pound Grant consistently uses his freakish (for his size) burst and long speed to disrupt screens and outside runs. When he doesn’t get home as a pass rusher, there might not be a better DT in the draft at getting his hands into the passing lane. Against USC, a game I attended, Grant got his hands on one Miller Moss attempt and forced a high throw on another that stopped a drive.

Grant is a viable first-round talent in his own right. That’s no shot at Graham, who belongs in the top-15 rankings. Both can be great individually, and they are. They were the bright spot for Michigan in an overall disappointing campaign for the defending national champs and the biggest reason why that 7-5 season ended with the most important win the Wolverines could dream about.

Saints would be thankful to get this Michigan standout in the 2025 NFL draft

The New Orleans Saints would be thankful to get Michigan standout Mason Graham in the 2025 NFL draft. He could care what ails their run defense:

It’s no secret that the New Orleans Saints defensive line isn’t what it used to be. They’re giving up 5.0 yards per rushing attempt this season, second-worst in the NFL. Second-year pro Bryan Bresee has made some strides as a pass rusher but he hasn’t quite developed into the three-down asset the Saints hoped for, at least not yet. He could use some more help in the middle of the line.

That’s why Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy linked the Saints to Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham in his latest projection. He’s a finalist for the exclusive Outland Trophy, the national award for college football’s best interior lineman. Graham is both one of the youngest players in the 2025 NFL draft class (he turned 21 in September) and one of its best athletes, pound-for-pound or otherwise.

The 6-foot-3, 318-pound junior brings high-end movement skills for someone his size; he fires off the snap and can cross a guard’s face in a hurry. But he also has the lower-body strength needed to anchor the line and not give ground against advancing opponents. He’s someone who could set up his teammates by occupying multiple blockers, clogging lanes, or forcing the offense to send extra attention his way.

So he could be a good fit with the Saints. They’ve tried to rebuild their interior line after letting David Onyemata walk away in free agency a couple summers ago, but even with free agent signings like Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders and late-round draft picks like Khristian Boyd, the group still lacks an edge. Maybe Graham can be the guy to turn the tide. We’ll just have to wait and see whether the Saints will be in position to draft him next April. If they’re still picking at No. 9 overall, like in this mock draft? They should have a shot.

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Browns land Best Player Available with pick No. 3 in new mock draft

The Browns land the lethal Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham in a new mock draft

The Cleveland Browns would love a quarterback in the 2025 NFL draft, but a new mock draft has them selecting Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham instead.

Why is that? Because Colorado’s duo of quarterback Shedeur Sanders and playmaker Travis Hunter are already off of the board. Instead of reaching for another quarterback like Miami’s Cam Ward, they opt for the BPA (best player available) approach.

And that road leads to the ultra-physical and explosive Graham who has been a havoc wreaker from the very first time he stepped on the field for the Wolverines. A new mock draft by Daft on Draft has the Browns taking him at pick No. 3.

He is currently second in all of college football in pressures with 32, sitting with a career-high five sacks as well.

While the Browns just selected Mike Hall Jr. in the second round last year, the rest of the defensive tackles on the roster are 30 or older or on expiring contracts. That room needs an infusion of young explosiveness, and Graham gives them that as one of the best players in the entire 2025 NFL draft.

Michigan DT Mason Graham named a ‘best fit’ for Giants

Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham has been named a “best fit” for the New York Giants in Round 1 of the 2025 NFL draft.

The New York Giants are currently slated to select second overall in the 2025 NFL draft and expectations are that they’ll lean quarterback and finally replace Daniel Jones.

But not everyone is sold on the upcoming quarterback class and some even believe the Giants would be better served by selecting a different position of need.

Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report is one of those people, suggesting general manager Joe Schoen should target Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham.

The idea of pairing Dexter Lawrence with Graham is downright frightening. Lawrence is already the game’s best interior defender, with the ability to completely take over games. The same applies to Graham at the collegiate level.

Graham currently ranks as Bleacher Report’s No. 2 overall prospect. He’s a disruptive 3-technique, with the strength and quickness to consistently reset the line of scrimmage.

As a result, the Giants can dominate the line of scrimmage and build the entire squad’s identity around their defensive front.

The Giants have been especially weak along the defensive interior when Lawrence is off the field. Opposing offenses routinely attack inside until Sexy Dexy returns, and that weakness has become increasingly glaring over the past several weeks.

Graham would match need with value, but can the Giants really afford to pass on a quarterback? Even if the overriding belief is that the 2026 quarterback class will be better than the 2025 class, there’s no guarantee general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll can hang onto their jobs that long.

However, if the Giants were able to find a talented bridge quarterback in free agency — Sam Darnold, perhaps — adding Graham to the defense and snagging a quarterback in 2026 might be the best-case scenario.

Of course, there are precious few fans out there who are willing to be that patient at this point. Can you blame them?

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Oregon vs. Michigan in-person scouting summary

2025 NFL Draft prospects from Oregon vs. Michigan in-person scouting summary

Oregon traveled to Michigan to face the Wolverines as a member of the Big Ten for the first time. The top-ranked Ducks proved worthy of the lofty ranking, sending the partisan crowd to the exits early in a 38-17 road win.

I was among those in the stands at the Big House, though I stayed until the end of this one. Unlike most games where I’m holed up in the press box, I watched this one from the fan section, behind the Oregon sideline on a sunny late afternoon that quickly faded into a chilly final evening of Daylight Saving Time.

Here’s what I took away from some of the 2025 NFL Draft prospects in the game.

Derrick Harmon

Harmon stood out from the very first Oregon defensive snap. The Ducks DT artfully dodged a (poorly executed) block and crashed into the backfield for an emphatic TFL. It was the first of several impressively disruptive plays the Michigan State transfer made on the day.

Harmon’s ability to strafe laterally and stay disengaged from blocking was devastating to the Michigan run offense. Harmon has quick eyes and quicker feet for his size, but he also flashed some real power and finishing acumen. His ability to find consistent success while lining up on either shoulder of the guards showed some positional versatility along the defensive interior that sure looks like it will translate to the next level quite well.

It was also impressive to watch him on the sidelines. Even though he’s new to the program, Harmon was quite enthusiastic in exhorting his Ducks teammates to not let up once the game started to get out of hand in their favor in the second half.

Mason Graham

Graham had a quiet day as a pass rusher, but at least some of that is attributable to how quickly Oregon throws the ball. The interior defensive line doesn’t have enough time to really impact all the quick swings and screens, and that was true of Graham in this game. He did, however, show some very nice stack-and-steer work at DT on inside runs.

The ability to get off a block with his powerful shoulders and then contribute to the tackle proved why he’s a legit NFL talent, though this was the second Michigan game I’ve been to this year (USC the other) where I was underwhelmed with his initial burst; he can do power or quick, but they don’t marry as well as other recent top DT prospects–or like Harmon on the Oregon side of the ball showed in this game.

Evan Stewart

Stewart’s best play of the game didn’t even count. The Oregon wideout made a spectacular one-handed stab in the end zone at full vertical extension and managed to contort himself so that he landed with one foot down for a would-be touchdown. Alas, it was wiped out by a penalty on Oregon. It was every bit as awesome as the Odell Beckham Jr. snag a few years back.

Even though that one didn’t count, seeing how dynamic Stewart was able to slice and dice the Michigan secondary over the middle and up the seams was impressive. He’s got a very good pacing to his route-running, and Stewart proved he’s got great hands, too. The Texas A&M transfer got a few looks in the slot, and that’s where I think his NFL future lies–even though he’s got the field-stretching speed on the outside. He played with more physicality than I expected for a 175-pound receiver, though it wasn’t always effective physicality.

Colston Loveland

Loveland was the best Michigan player on the field and basically the only effective offensive player for nearly the entire game. The polish on his receiving traits–routes, releases, hands, strength in traffic, transition from receiver to runner–was fantastic in this one. Oregon’s defense knew he was getting the ball and they still couldn’t stop him.

This game reaffirmed that Loveland is not an NFL-caliber inline blocker and it will take considerable work to get him to be even a passable blocking presence. But for teams looking for a multi-level receiving threat at tight end, Loveland proved in this one he’s best-in-class. The 6-foot-5, 245-pounder even showed ability aligning as the wide receiver in this one. Very impressive game from Loveland.

Dillon Gabriel

The well-traveled Ducks quarterback stood out for three primary things:

  • He’s visibly smaller in person; both the 6-0 and especially the 200 pounds he’s listed at seem quite generous.
  • The lefty has a lightning-quick release and the ball comes out with impressive exit velocity,
  • Gabriel is very good at mistake avoidance, making the best decision with the ball almost every time.

Gabriel has decent pocket mobility and proved on his touchdown scamper he can chew up yards quickly with his legs, too. His downfield arm strength was visibly lacking, however; he had two deeper throws that hung up in the air too long. Even in the warmups on the sideline, it was clear the zip doesn’t last long on his throws.

Kalel Mullings

Michigan’s sledgehammer of a running back had a very rough afternoon against the quickness of Oregon’s defense. Mullings lacks great vision and there is almost no lateral agility to his game. He’s still learning how to play running back, so there is upside for a 233-pound rolling sack of hammers, but he’s still quite green at the nuances of playing running back. Oregon was very effective at not letting him get north-south right away and negating his power. The first Duck to hit him got him down almost every time.

Will Johnson

The standout Michigan cornerback did not play. He’s still recovering from a foot injury suffered early in Michigan’s loss to Illinois on October 19th. Johnson has also missed time in 2024 with a shoulder injury suffered in the Wolverines’ win over USC.