Mason Graham, DT, Michigan Wolverines: 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report
By Mike Poland
Position: Defensive Tackle
Date of Birth: September 2, 2003 (Age 21)
Height/Weight: 6'3", 317 lbs.
Tackling- 61
Run Defense- 88
Pass Rush- 82
Pass Coverage- 63
Background
Mason Graham played as both defensive line and offensive tackle at his high school, Servite High School. Another huge notch in his cap is the fact he was also the schools star wrestler on the wrestling team. In 2021, Graham officially committed to Michigan as a four-star recruit.
In his freshman year, Graham was thrown in the deep end and played in every game that year on Michigan’s schedule. He played a total of 303 defensive snaps and totalled 13 pressures, three sacks and 27 tackles.
Last season Graham improved dramatically and caught the eye of a lot of scouts. He was instrumental in helping Michigan win the National Championship where he delivered four tackles and five pressures. During the 2023 season, Graham registered 442 snaps (328 of those snaps at the three-tech position). He also made 33 tackles, 29 pressures, eight tackles for loss and four sacks.
Strengths
- Hot motor: The first thing you notice from snap-to-snap with Graham is the relentlessness he plays at. From the first snap to last snap Graham exhibits a strong will to win and superb athleticism to keep driving the opposition backward. Some of the better offensive linemen in college have all shown to struggle against Graham late in games due to his high levels of stamina and speed.
- Speed and Power: This not only reiterates his athleticism, but also his wrestling background. You see how he’s quick off the line with exceptional burst, shows amazing power and the ability to use speed-to-power, but he also combines that with elite level hand usage. Due to his wrestling days he’s able to slip passed by blocks with clever use of hands or to out leverage lineman if they try to hold him up.
- Run Defense: Graham shows he’s not just fast and strong but also smart. He diagnoses the play quickly and knows when to hold his gap or half-man his blocker to locate the rusher and get to him quickly. He’s not a guy that will get lost in the trash and times himself well when two-gapping and blocking the hole.
Weakness
- Size: Graham measures up better as a five-tech than he does playing the nose or A-gaps. He’s able to hold up at this level due to his power and speed, but in the NFL where players are just as big and just as fast you have to wonder how effective he can be playing the three-tech position in the pros. Due to this some coaches who will look to draft him may try to restructure his play which will take him time to develop.
- No Surrender: As mentioned in his strengths, Graham has an insanely hot motor, that’s great. But he has no downshift at all, ever. What that means he will fail to disengage from blocks wanting to purely go straight at the offensive linemen and never back down. This leads to him being more of a player that can sometimes get in the way rather than a player oppositions need fear.
- Pass Rush Technique: His technique is fine. What it lacks is consistency. He’s all too often wanting rip or spin (his spin move is elite however) and that leads to him becoming scheme easy. Opposition coaches know what it is coming, how to coach their lineman and what to prepare for what’s coming.
NFL Comparison: Sharrif Floyd, Minnesota Vikings
Floyd was an intriguing prospect coming out of Florida and impressed be ought to get picked in the first round. His first step and burst was elite level and showed great technique with his hands to get past any blocker. Both Floyd and Graham have the same issue, getting neutralized too easily as a pass rusher due to just wanting to wildly aggressive on every play.
2025 NFL Draft projection
Just like Floyd, Graham is enticing and all his issues are extremely fixable. The size is somewhat a concern but on the right defense that will look to employ a slanting defensive line or rotated often, Graham can easily be a success in the NFL. The defense needs very little coaching and his tackling technique is where it needs to be also. His scolding hot motor makes him a key defender in the NFL and his understanding of balance and getting linemen off-balance is a fantastic trait to watch. His technique, speed and power all make for an ideal candidate at this stage to go early in the 2025 NFL Draft. The key to him becoming a slam dunk first round choice will be how he develops his pass rush this coming season.