Draft Dreamer: Mason Graham

A new league champion has been crowned and the calendar has officially rolled over to 2025. With free agency and the draft coming at us fast, this is the chance for all teams to reset and fans to renew their hopes. If you have followed my work,  you know this is my favorite time of year and it’s never too early to start breaking down NFL Draft prospects. This class is packed with players who will make an impact at the next level. I will cover each of them from the big dudes in the trenches to the erasers patrolling the secondary. Let’s get started with a prospect who everyone should have very high on their draft boards, Mason Graham of the Michigan Wolverines.

The Background

Mason Graham was a four-star recruit at linebacker for the Servite Friars in Anaheim, California. Graham would receive some valuable action as a sophomore and junior. Where he played in a combined 14 games with totals of 43 total tackles, 19 solo stops, 44.1% solo rate, five TFLs, and four sacks. He would be a full-time starter as a senior with 13 games played, 67 total tackles, 32 solo stops, 47.7 solo rate, 21 TFLs, 14 sacks, and two forced fumbles. He also won two Trinity League wrestling championships, as a heavyweight. In December 2021, he was selected by the Los Angeles Times as the High School Player of the Year and named an All-American by Max Preps. Graham a Top 300 player, would be ranked the 247th player overall, the 32nd defensive lineman, and the 19th-best player in the state of California by 247Sports. He received 13 offers from various schools and committed to the Wolverines, one week after watching them play the Washington Huskies. Graham would receive a solid role for Michigan as a true freshman. He would play in all 14 games, making two starts, with 27 total tackles, 14 solo stops, 51.8% solo rate, 2½ TFLs, 2½ sacks, and one PBU. It’s not often that you see a true freshman defensive lineman get to start for a major blue-blood school such as Michigan.

As a sophomore Graham’s career would really take off as he would be named All-Big Ten 1st Team, All-American 2nd Team, seven times Defensive Player of the Week, and help lead Michigan to a National Championship, where he was named Defensive MVP of the Rose Bowl. Graham would play in and start all 13 games, with 35 total tackles, 23 solo tackles, 65.7% solo rate, 7½ TFLs, three sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one PBU. Graham would follow up with a junior season that was just as good as his sophomore campaign. He played and started 12 games, with 45 total tackles, 23 solo tackles, 51.1% solo rate, seven TFLs, 3½ sacks, one PBU, and one blocked kick. Graham would be named a consensus All Big10 1st Team, unanimous All-Amercian 1st Team, a finalist for the Nagurski & Outland Trophies, semifinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy.

Graham decided to leave early and declare for the draft as an underclassman. With that, he leaves the University of Michigan as a two-time letterman with 39 games played, 27 starts, 107 total tackles, 60 solo tackles, 56% solo rate, 17 TFLs, nine sacks, three PBUs, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one blocked kick. His grades on my IDP Rookie Draft Grade spreadsheet are a BCR (Blue Chip Rating) of 9.644, Impact Score of 3.564, and BPR (Big Play Score) score of .794 are comparable to that of Tyler Davis of Clemson in last years draft. 

Player Breakdown

Graham is widely considered one of the best interior defensive linemen in this draft class. At 6’3”/320 lbs his movements are smooth and fluid. Graham plays with a non-stop motor and has a great understanding of how to gain leverage advantages, a credit to his background in wrestling. He has a more compact build and doesn’t quite have the length you would like, but his quickness and lateral agility help make up for those deficiencies. When watching the film you can see his impact at any of the interior defensive line positions. Graham is above average as a pass rusher but really stands out when defending the run. He needs to expand his pass-rush toolbox and be better when trying to anchor down versus double teams.

He has a quick get-off and can really bully offensive guards in one-on-one situations. You can see this impact when he's involved in slants, where he gets instant pressure. I like his ability to affect the run game as much as anything he does, especially in one-on-one situations where he can dictate the outcome more easily. Graham has to maintain his snap burst and leverage advantages to be effective, or long-armed blockers and double teams can wash him out. He shows nice marks in power and strength but can stand too upright and lose the pad-level battle. Has violent hands and knows how to effectively use them. Overall he’s a very clean prospect and his run-stopping abilities will take him a long way at the next level.

NFL & Fantasy Projection

Everything about Graham tracks to him having a long and productive career. A big tough physical run stuffer who moves around like a dancing bear. He projects best as a 3-techinque option but he’ll be fine playing the 4 or 5-technique. Proven production at the highest level of college football and is as reliable of a player as you’ll find. He has some limitations as any player does, but his overall projection is hard to overlook. Graham is locked in as a 1st round selection at this point and with a good showing at combine or pro day, we could see that lock into a Top 15 selection. Should easily play for ten-plus years and be an impact player that opponents will have to account for.

In IDP fantasy his value won’t be as high as his NFL value, but in position-specific leagues, he will get a bump. I have Graham graded as the 2nd best IDL in this class but I really need to see where he lands to have a better feel of how to rank him. In position-specific leagues I am okay with spending a 6th round pick or later on him. In general position leagues, I feel it’s best to try to grab him off waivers and use your draft capital on prospects that will have a bigger impact for your teams. Graham is a very talented player but plays one of the less desirable positions in fantasy. There is some value there with Graham but only if you spend a late-round flyer or get him off waivers.

Thanks for reading my article. I am a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers of America). Follow me on Twitter at @HollywoodTitan, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub — I’m user KingTitan1 — and tune in each week and listen to IDP Nation and Devy IDP Grind, the podcasts that I co-host, on several different platforms. Feel free to email or dm me with any questions you have, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy