Three years ago, an under-the-radar defensive tackle out of Anaheim, California, committed to play college football at the University of Michigan. Expectations about his future were relatively low, but just a few months later, he would be named a starter as a true freshman. Now, as we prepare for the 2025 NFL Draft, he has gone from being a fringe four-star prospect to likely being one of the top 2025 NFL Draft prospects. Here is my Mason Graham NFL Draft Profile, along with his ideal landing spot.
Mason Graham NFL Draft Profile
Most Michigan football fans have heard about Mason Graham's wrestling background and how that has helped him become so successful as a college player. It has led to him having elite hand placement and instinctive understanding of leverage. Graham actually took up wrestling in high school because he lived too far from home to drive back between the end of class and the start of basketball practice.
This translated into him becoming one of the most dominant defensive tackles in college football history. He anchored a defensive unit in 2023 that would become one of the greatest college defenses of all time. And although that side of the ball struggled adapting to a number of new starters and a new coordinator, Graham played a massive role in Michigan's upset of Ohio State this past fall. Graham, along with Kenneth Grant, held the Buckeyes to just 77 yards on the ground that day and three yards per carry, as they blew up run after run for little to no gain.
Strengths
First of all, Graham is incredibly athletic with an explosive first step and very impressive movement ability for someone his size. He gets off the ball very quickly at the snap and initiates contact early with opposing offensive linemen. He's also able to leverage this athleticism into fighting around blocks and utilizing finesse moves as a pass rusher.
This is also combined with his elite strength. Graham does a really good job of anchoring against blocks in the run game and being able to fight through single and even double team blocks. This means that teams consistently have to double team him leaving other one on one matchups along the defensive line.
Weaknesses
The only major knock against Mason Graham has been his size and arm length. He measured with 32" arms during his limited participation at the NFL scouting combine. This can often be a problem at the NFL level but it hasn't seemed to slow Graham's production at the college level at all.
Some of the more nit picking criticism is that Graham still has to develop as a pass rusher. Some of this was scheme at Michigan, as the Wolverines don't traditionally ask for much in terms of pass rush from their interior defensive line. But Graham is also under-developed as a power rusher especially relative to how stout he is against the run. Adding more moves and ability to generate pass rush at the NFL level will be a key for Graham.
Done three games of Mason Graham now, and watched a cut up of all 34 pressures he had this year as well just to get a sense of how he wins when it works.
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) February 13, 2025
The odd thing to me is that for someone who is so stout against the run, he does not have power as a pass rusher.
He only…
NFL Draft Projection
Right now, Graham is being projected as a pretty unanimous top-five pick. A lot of the top teams need a defensive tackle, and Graham is the top one available. The most common landing spot is the Jacksonville Jaguars at pick no. 5. The Jaguars have Josh Hines-Allen and former first overall pick Travon Walker at defensive end, but need help on the interior of their defensive line.
The New York Giants at no. 3 overall are also a potential spot but more likely to go with Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter. The New England Patiots at no. 4 could be a spot but look for them to go with an offensive weapon to pair with quarterback Drake Maye.
If the Jaguars go in a different direction at number five overall it would be a shock to see Graham make it past the New York Jets at 7 or the Carolina Panthers at 8, who both have needs at defensive tackle.
Ideal Landing Spot
The Giants would have to be the best spot for Graham to land with all the other assets they have on the defensive line. The Giants have good edge rushers in Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux as well as one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL with Dexter Lawrence. They also operate out of a very similar scheme to what Graham was in at Michigan. And all of this isn't to mention the pay raise he would get going a few picks higher in the draft.
Ultimately Graham is going to have success wherever he goes. It's hard to imagine any scenario where Graham makes it out of the first round. We'll see which of those teams can turn it around this year but New England and Carolina could be intriguing options as well with quality head coaches and young quarterbacks starting to show signs of promise.