The Cleveland Browns made a big move when they decided to trade down from No. 2 to No. 5 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Passing on two-way star Travis Hunter was a big risk, given that some considered him to be the best prospect in years.
Fast forward to today, and while it’s far too early to call Hunter a bust for the Jacksonville Jaguars, he clearly hasn’t lived up to expectations.
The defensive tackle the Browns did draft, on the other hand, has looked like a star in the making.
“Mason Graham ranks 11th out of 54 qualifying players in ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric as an interior defender (11.6%). He’s acknowledged his season has been up and down. An OT or WR at No. 5 wasn’t changing this offense. And the Browns knew they weren’t a QB away,” Daniel Oyefusi wrote on X.
Mason Graham ranks 11th out of 54 qualifying players in ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric as an interior defender (11.6%). He’s acknowledged his season has been up and down.
An OT or WR at No. 5 wasn’t changing this offense. And the Browns knew they weren’t a QB away. https://t.co/8s69OZtZ3S
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) October 27, 2025
Defensive tackles aren’t widely considered to be impact players, which is why they’re rarely taken with a top-five selection.
Even so, scouts agreed that the Michigan product was worthy, which spoke volumes about his potential, and it hasn’t taken long for Graham to prove them right.
He has been an absolute force against the run, and he’s made big strides as a pass rusher.
He’s anchoring one of the best defensive lines in the NFL, and he’s only going to get better.
Graham could legitimately be in the mix for Defensive Player of the Year at some point in his career, while Hunter has yet to show that potential on either side of the ball.
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