Mason Graham, Michigan: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Graham was a four-star recruit from Servite High School in Anaheim, Calif. in the class of 2022
Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham is one of my top five prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s undersized for a traditional interior player but has the polish and explosiveness as a pass rusher and motor as a run defender to compensate for his physical shortcomings.
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Mason Graham, IDL Michigan: 2025 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Junior defensive tackle from Anaheim, Calif.
Background: Graham was a four-star recruit from Servite High School in Anaheim, Calif. in the class of 2022. He was the No. 209 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 162 for Rivals, and No. 298 for On3.com. Graham was an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 77 grade out of 100. He originally committed to Boise State before flipping to Michigan. Graham led Servite to a 10-3 season and a CIF Southern Section Division 1 Championship Game appearance as a senior while totaling 60 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, and 14 sacks. He was a two-way player, starting at defensive tackle and along the offensive line. His junior season was shortened because of COVID-19, limiting him to nine tackles and two sacks in five games. As a sophomore, Graham recorded 34 tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks. He was the 2021 Los Angeles Times High School Football Player of the Year and the 2021 Trinity League Most Valuable Lineman. Graham also competed in wrestling all four years in high school. He was a two-time Trinity League heavyweight champion and helped Servite win the league title as a junior. Graham was born on Sept. 2, 2003.
Injuries & Off-Field: Missed two games after breaking his left thumb vs. Bowling Green and requiring surgery (2023)
Awards: 2022 Freshman All-American (PFF), 2023 First Team All-Big Ten (Coaches), 2023 Third Team All-Big Ten (Media), 2023 Second Team All-American (Sporting News), 2023 Rose Bowl Game Defensive MVP
Overview: Graham aligns everywhere from 0-tech out to 4i for Michigan. His build is squat, high-hipped, and might be tapped out physically. Graham’s arm length doesn’t meet traditional NFL thresholds. He fires off the line of scrimmage quickly and maintains a low pad level to win the leverage battle immediately. Graham’s explosive lateral jumps help him exchange gaps at the snap. He engages his hands early in the rep to establish his superior leverage and compensate for his lack of arm length. The junior relentlessly attacks the offensive lineman’s hands with his twitchy upper body. He replaces and resets his hands quickly to keep up his attacks. Graham’s pass rush plan includes rips, spins, swims, clubs, club-rips, club-swims, push-pulls, developmental push-pull-swims, and powerful two-handed swipes. His clubs are well-placed and sometimes disrupt offensive linemen in their stances to ruin their balance or displace them. Graham has some bend to flatten his rush angle, but it’s not a strength of his game. He decelerates and accelerates quickly on hesitation moves. The Wolverines feature Graham in stunts frequently, and he has the speed and momentum to displace offensive linemen on these plays. He doesn’t have the size or play strength to defeat double teams as a pass rusher, but he sometimes splits those blocks. Once he clears the offensive line, Graham has the closing burst to overtake the quarterback quickly. In the run game, Graham uses his wide base and hand placement to win the leverage battle and stack blocks. His mixture of balance, upper body strength, and twitch helps him survive the initial contact before quickly discarding the block. He embodies “the smallest nail is the hardest to bend” mentality. The California native stacks, peaks, and sheds blocks with great timing to close gaps or redirect to pursue the football. His anchor holds up against some combo blocks, but those plays often result in him being removed from the play. Ohio State (2023) found success putting him on the ground with double teams. A player with his size needs to display impeccable balance, so these struggles raise some concerns. Graham’s upper body and core strength allow him to torque and toss single blockers in the run game. He makes offensive linemen look silly with a brutal club-swim move that sends lunging run blockers to the turf. Graham’s arm length appears to limit his ability to finish tackles.
Overall, Graham lacks the ideal build for a defensive tackle, but his hand usage, wide array of rush moves, and performance stacking and shedding blocks in the trenches make him one of the best prospects in the 2025 class. Graham can improve his balance at the point of attack and finish more tackles, but there aren’t many other holes to poke in his game.
Role & Scheme Fit: Disruptive 3-tech in a 3-4 scheme
Round Grade: Top 10 Selection
Size: 6'3", 318 lbs. (Unofficial)
Submitted: 07-29-24
Updated: 10-09-24