The Cleveland Browns were widely praised for the way they maneuvered at the top of the 2025 NFL Draft. They passed on two-way player Travis Hunter and traded the No. 2 overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars, then were able to select highly regarded defensive tackle Mason Graham with the No. 5 selection.
Unfortunately, despite playing well for a rookie, Graham did not live up to the lofty status of a top-five choice. In fact, he was overshadowed on his own team, as teammate Carson Schwesinger, a second-round pick at No. 33 overall, wound up as the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Now, with Myles Garrett traded away to the Los Angeles Rams, even more will be expected from Graham this season. Yet, there are some doubts about whether he is up to the task, with one former scout warning fans about his potential.
Analyst Steve Palazzolo said he does see a path forward for Graham, with a possible improvement based on his physical development.
“I think what’s tricky is [Mason] played 765 snaps. PFF grade is 68. The run defense and pass rush grades are just OK. All of that got better as the year went on. He didn’t show the same type of power that he showed at Michigan. I’d like to see that better from him. I think he showed a reasonable amount of disruption. There just weren’t enough one-on-one clean wins as a pass rusher. I think he has it in him. I think there’s another step to take. I think you use it in his favor that he played so many snaps,” Palazzolo said.
Graham should be given a great deal of credit for playing 72 percent of the Browns’ defensive snaps and all 17 games. After the season, it was revealed that he suffered a broken rib in Week 13, but he continued to play even with the Browns far out of the playoff race.
That kind of perseverance should bode well for Graham’s future. Even though he managed just one-half sack, four quarterback hits, and 36 pressures in almost 800 snaps, his ability to occupy blockers on the interior at 6-foot-4, 315 pounds may have played a large part in Garrett setting the NFL record with 23.0 sacks last season.
As Palazzolo said, it is sometimes difficult to properly evaluate a defensive tackle without knowing his responsibilities. According to PFF, Graham ranked 31st overall among 134 interior linemen, 35th in run-defense grade, and 69th in pass-rush grade.
It would greatly help the Browns if Graham can improve his production as they transition away from Garrett to a defense led by Schwesinger and newcomer Jared Verse.
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