The Cleveland Browns took a big risk when they traded down in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. They moved on from a seemingly generational prospect like Travis Hunter to get Mason Graham.
Of course, the return they landed was more than enough to pull the trigger, but some fans were still worried about using a top-five pick on a defensive tackle. He got off to a somewhat slow start, but as pointed out by Anthony Reinhard on X, he’s turned the corner in the second half of the campaign.
Per Reinhard and Pro Football Focus, he went from ranking 94th out of 103 players in win rate on true pass sets from Weeks 1-8 to ranking 8th out of 100 players in those situations in the following weeks. PFF defines those situations as a pass play with at least four rushers, no play action, no screen pass, and a time to throw of at least two seconds.
Fun Mason Graham stat! Among DTs w/ at least 80 total pass rushes:
From Weeks 1-8, Graham was 94th of 103 players in win rate on true pass sets
From Weeks 9-16, Graham has been 8th of 100 players in win rate on true pass sets
Data: PFF
— Anthony Reinhard (@reinhardNFL) December 24, 2025
Graham’s impact shouldn’t be measured by raw numbers. That position isn’t about stats, but that doesn’t mean they’re not as vital as other players.
He did get off to a somewhat shaky start against the pass, but he proved to be an elite interior defender from the very second he set foot on the gridiron. More than that, his presence there helped open up a lot of space for Myles Garrett, and it’s not a coincidence to see him on the verge of setting a new single-season sack record in his first year by his side.
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