When the Cleveland Browns took Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham fifth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, there were immediate expectations for the former Wolverine, and despite a deep DT room, Graham started every game, played the seventh-most snaps of any defender on the team, and gradually improved as the year went on, proving his worth and fueling even bigger expectations moving forward.
Defensive tackle is one of the most difficult positions to translate to the NFL. It often takes players two to three years to adjust to the size, speed, strength, and technical ability of professional offensive linemen, and Graham did go through some of that, especially when it came to rushing the passer. Here are Graham's pass-rushing ranks for the season, data courtesy of Pro Football Focus with the 50% snap qualifier:
Weeks 1-7
Pass-rush grade: 34th
Win rate: 40th
True pass set pass-rush grade: 49th
True pass set win rate: 48th
Weeks 8-18
Pass-rush grade: 30th
Win rate: 17th
True pass set pass-rush grade: 19th
True pass set win rate: 13th
That's a tremendous improvement, especially in situations where Graham was allowed to pin his ears back and rush the passer. What makes these numbers even more impressive was that for the final five games, he was without Maliek Collins, who finished the season as the third-highest-graded pass-rusher among DTs. Graham suddenly became the top DT on the depth chart, and yet his play still improved.
Graham may not have been getting the sack numbers, or even pressure numbers, of an elite rusher, but he was a force to be reckoned with and extremely disruptive.
Something that Graham did a decent amount in college was rush off the edge, and that seemed like it would dissipate in the NFL due to his lack of length and athletic ability for an EDGE, but he actually played a high number of snaps as an end, and even rushed standup with some success.