CLEVELAND, Ohio — Browns DC Jim Schwartz has coached a lot of top-tier interior linemen throughout his three-decade-long NFL career.
There was Ndamukong Suh with the Detroit Lions, Albert Haynesworth with the Tennessee Titans, Fletcher Cox with the Eagles, and Marcell Dareus with the Bills, just to name a few.
So as the Browns add Mason Graham, their No. 5 overall pick in this year’s draft out of Michigan, to Schwartz’s current D-line, do any of those past names come to mind as a comparison for the rookie DT?
“I’ve had a lot of good defensive tackles over the years and this game has featured a lot of those guys,” Schwartz said this week. “It allows them to penetrate, play without handcuffs and make some impacts. I think he can fall into that category. We’ll leave who he reminds us of when he starts playing and starts making plays.”
Graham has yet to draw comparisons in the eyes of his D-coordinator, but that brings us to the larger point Schwartz was trying to make: The Browns believe there’s a lot more to Graham’s game than what we got to see from him in college, and that’s saying something.
In 39 games over three seasons at Michigan, Graham collected nine sacks and 17 tackles for loss, including 6.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss over the last two seasons.
He did all that in a defensive scheme that was markedly different from the “see quarterback, get quarterback” scheme Schwartz has implemented in Cleveland.
With the Wolverines, Graham still had to do a lot of the more traditional D-line work — specifically, eating up blocks, and cleaning things up so the Wolverine linebackers could work. Because of that, it’s impressive he was able to put up the pressure numbers he did over the last two years.
“I do think there’s a lot of meat on the bone as far as his production, and we can see better production from him than even we saw, and he had outstanding production and college,” Schwartz said. “But I think there’s some meat on the bone that he can even have a chance to make more plays here.”
That’s been a sentiment repeatedly expressed by the Browns and Graham.
“I feel like maybe in the scheme I was playing in before, I might’ve had handcuffs on, moving more laterally,” Graham said during rookie minicamp. “But I feel like this attacking front will help me and unleash some new things in my game and I feel like I can be a great player in the scheme.”
Right after drafting him, GM Andrew Berry called Graham a “DNA match” for the Cleveland defense.
“Disruptive, interior penetrator,” Berry said. “I think he can really affect the pocket from inside, high motor player, really physical, really tough. We thought he was one of the more dominant trench prospects in this year’s class.”
There’s only so much to glean about linemen in OTA practices, which are unpadded and have no contact.
Cleveland Browns OTAs, June 4, 2025
But over the last few weeks and in rookie minicamp, Graham has looked the part. Going through individual drills, you can easily see the leverage he was lauded for throughout the draft process. And even though there’s no real contact, in 11-on-11 team drills he still passes the initial eyeball test getting first-team reps.
And even though Graham is a top-five pick, the team is aware this is going to be a process for him as he prepares for his NFL debut in a new system.
“Yeah, it’s been an adjustment for him just because the style of play (at Michigan), reading blocks and like you said, protecting linebackers and things like that,” Schwartz said. “You know, that’s not what we do. We’re a penetrating team that makes a big emphasis on defensive linemen being able to make the plays.
“So there has been some growing pains. He’s pretty far ahead right now. When we get pads on, that’ll be the next step. And then when you go live contact, that’ll be a next step. So it’ll be a process for him.”
There’s plenty of meat on the bone Graham and the Browns still have to work their way through, and that’s a good thing.
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