Michigan’s Mason Graham is a Late First Round Game Film Value

First Round Mock’s NFL Draft Analyst Rajvir Bal is not quite as high on Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham as some of the other draft platforms are.

Michigan defensive tackle (DT) Mason Graham is a popular name in the 2025 NFL Draft.

How popular?

Over 90% of the other draft platforms have him mocked to go first round (nflmockdraftdatabase.com). A good number of those ⎯CBS, The Athletic, Pro Football Network, 33rd Team, Draft Kings, NBC Sports, SI, Fox Sports, Yahoo, SB Nation, Bleacher Report, Pro Football Focus, Draftwire, Newsweek, and USA Today all have Graham mocked him as a top-10 pick.

Does the game film support that kind of hype?

Background

Graham was a 4-star recruit out of high school and committed to Michigan (247Sports.com). He was a two-sport athlete in football and wrestling.

Alan Clinton, his high school wrestling coach said, “If he [Graham] hadn’t left and gone to Michigan (as an early enrollee), he probably would have got just as many wrestling offers as he did football offers,” Clinton told The Michigan Daily. “That’s how good he was.”

Stats:

2023: 13 games played, 36 tackles (23 solo), 8 tackles for loss, 1 pass defended, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 3 sacks

2024: 12 games played, 45 tackles (23 solo), 7 tackles for loss, 1 pass defended, 0 forced fumbles, 0 fumble recoveries, and 3.5 sacks

Per Pro Football Focus, Graham recorded an additional 16 quarterback hits and 38 hurries in the past two seasons.

#55 Mason Graham 6-foot-3, 320 pounds 
Rajvir Bal’s 2025 NFL Draft Grade: First-Round (I would select him)
Projected by 95.2% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of January 17, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2024 game film reviewed: Texas, USC, Minnesota, and  Illinois, (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Strengths

Graham goes hard much of the time. He did a solid job anchoring himself and got into the quarterback’s grill quite a bit. Possesses good short-line speed that allows him to quickly get to ball carriers in short distances. Quickly sheds blocks and shows good reach, which allows him to make tackles while he’s still engaged with blockers. He just finds ways to get to the ball carrier, whether that be through pursuit, shedding blocks, or another way. If he couldn’t get to the quarterback, he made a solid effort trying for pass deflections.

Weaknesses

This prospect has big holes in his game on film that hold him back from being the blue-chip prospect. Graham lacked balance and was falling over far too much on film. This was puzzling. He looked like he was tripping over his own two feet. There were other times he looked lost like a deer in headlights. His head wasn’t on a swivel, which meant misdirection and reverses were able to fool him. He can also look a little too passive at times. Graham lacks a dominant bull rush, which will hinder his ceiling at the next level. There was a stark difference in his first-half vs. second-half film.

Ten Adjectives

Tenacious. Agile. Anchored. Versatile. Persistent. Unbalanced. Hesitant. Passive. Limited. Fatigued.

NFL Crystal Ball

New York Jets

Jacksonville Jaguars

Carolina Panthers

Pro Comp: Larry Ogunjobi who was originally selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. Ogunjobi has since signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and has logged over 25 career sacks.

Final Thoughts

At times, Graham looks the part of being a future All-Pro. However, after a closer look, he’s a mixed bag of strengths and weaknesses.

He’ll be a solid long-term NFL starter.

Rajvir Bal is a high school student from the Virginia area. He grew up a rabid Washington Redskins fan, attending more than 30 games, and has enjoyed the team’s high points and low points throughout his life. He plays varsity football and basketball. Rajvir has taken an interest in the NFL Draft since middle school when his team picked Montez Sweat and Dwayne Haskins in the first round. His favorite NFL player ever flips between Rob Gronkowski and Brett Favre, and his favorite athlete is LeBron James. He has been writing his own scouting reports since 2020, and is excited for the opportunities FirstRoundMock provides.