Browns Rookie Showing Promising Surge In Recent Weeks

The Cleveland Browns made the right choice in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. At least, that’s what the early returns suggest.

While Travis Hunter was considered by many to be the ‘safe’ pick, they just couldn’t turn down the huge trade offer the Jacksonville Jaguars put together. It looks even better when you consider the fact that Mason Graham is playing like a future foundational piece of the Browns’ defense.

While the rookie defensive tackle hasn’t had as many flashy plays as Carson Schwesinger or his name hasn’t been brought up as often in broadcasts, it’s pretty clear that he was the right selection.

With that in mind, Jim Wyman of Pro Football Focus tipped his hat to him for his steady progress as a pass rusher.

“While it’s taken a while for his pass rush to get going, Graham has been on a pretty solid run the last few weeks. He has generated at least three pressures in three consecutive games while posting a pass-rush win rate of over 10% in four consecutive games. Graham hasn’t recorded any sacks during this stretch, but he has continued to show improvement in harassing the quarterback as he grows during his rookie campaign,” Wyman wrote.

Graham’s Growth Is Transforming Browns’ Defensive Front

Graham was an absolute stud against the run during his days in college, but he wasn’t that big a factor against the pass. He’s made big strides in that regard.

More than that, having him shut down the interior of the defensive line has also helped Myles Garrett elevate his game to new heights. He can now roam free and and he’s already posted career bests in sacks with one-third of the regular season still to go.

Defensive tackles usually don’t go that high in the NFL Draft, but they are the type of players you know are doing a great job when you don’t hear their names called very often.

And with the right mentorship to go along with his work ethic and talent, Graham might turn out to be one of the most complete and dominant DL in the game in no time.