Mason Graham has made an immediate impact in the middle of the Cleveland Browns’ defense, even though the Baltimore Ravens put up 41 points in their Week 2 game.
At least two of those touchdowns could be directly linked to Cleveland’s turnovers on offense, so you have to look past the score to see the impact the Browns defense has made.
However, when it comes to Graham, former scout Daniel Kelly highlighted a big concern from the rookie’s first two games.
“For the record, Browns DT Mason Graham has the No. 144-ranked pass rushing grade in the NFL for interior defensive linemen (PFF 51.9),” Daniel Kelly of First Round Mock wrote on X.
For the record, Browns DT Mason Graham has the No. 144-ranked pass rushing grade in the NFL for interior defensive linemen (PFF 51.9).
— FIRST ROUND MOCK (@firstroundmock) September 17, 2025
Offseason reports said defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz planned for Graham to be utilized differently than he was at Michigan, with the main shift being that the Browns wanted him to be more of a playmaker in the backfield and get after the quarterback as opposed to eating up space and occupying double teams like he did in college.
Overall, the No. 5 overall pick from the 2025 NFL Draft has an above-average overall grade, so this is no reason to worry, especially given the small sample size.
The Browns have six sacks and have stifled two strong rushing offenses in their losses, holding both the Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals under 50 yards rushing.
A team doesn’t hold Ravens stars like Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson under 50 yards if it’s not doing something right, and Graham just needs to keep it up in that aspect of his game.
The pass rushing results will come naturally as long as he keeps playing hard.
NEXT: Browns Get Encouraging Injury Update On Jack Conklin
