The Cleveland Browns’ rookie class is special.
Most of those players have already made a big impact, and they look like huge building blocks for years to come, both literally and figuratively.
Mason Graham, however, hasn’t drawn as much attention as he deserves.
Yet, Jim Wyman of Pro Football Focus did notice the defensive tackle’s dominant performance against the Miami Dolphins in Week 7.
“The former fifth overall pick out of Michigan wreaked havoc against the Dolphins’ offensive line, particularly as a run defender. On Sunday, 38.5 percent of his run-defense snaps earned a positive grade while recording two tackles for loss. In fact, Graham’s average depth of tackle was 1.5 yards behind the line of scrimmage,” Wyman wrote.
The Dolphins have De’Von Achane, one of the most explosive running backs in the game, and he kept on crashing into a stout line over and over.
People don’t talk about defensive tackles often, but that’s actually a good thing, because that’s when you know they’re doing their job, occupying blockers so teammates can make plays.
Graham was an elite run stopper at Michigan, so his success in that area hasn’t been much of a surprise.
Also, being side by side with Myles Garrett can open up some lanes because of the attention the All-Pro defensive end usually draws.
Even so, Graham has taken a leap as a pass rusher this season.
He looks ahead of schedule in his development, and while not many people were on board with drafting a defensive tackle with a top-five selection, he’s certainly justified the pick thus far.
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