It is officially NFL Draft month, and the Michigan football team is going to see multiple of its former stars go in the first round. The former Wolverine that will likely come off the board first is defensive lineman Mason Graham. He has been a force on the Michigan D-line for three years now as he started his college career back in 2022. Graham is now ready to go pro, and The Athletic has him as the the fifth overall pick, going to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
With the 2025 NFL Draft quickly approaching, a popular thing that you will see is draft-eligble players being compared to guys who have played in the NFL. One Big Ten running backs coach compared Mason Graham to former Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald.
“This guy is so good at using his hands and diagnosing how he’s being blocked so fast,” the running backs coach said. “Like [Aaron] Donald, I think he’s got this ability where he processes so fast and counters so fast before the guy can even put his hands on him. They have like an extra step and can win so fast. His get-off is really good, and his hand-fighting and the counters in his game are elite.”
It’s hard not to be impressed with what Graham was able to accomplish at the college level. One Big Ten offensive line coach didn’t see a lot of weaknesses when his team went up against Michigan.
“He knows who he is, and he plays to his strength,” the coach said. “I think he’s super impressive with his alignment, how well he uses his hands, takes on double teams — you’ll see him free up the defensive end on a twist. He’s stout, and he’s pretty twitchy. He’s quicker than people think.”
Graham was a force to be reckoned with in college and he was one of the best players in the country, but another Big Ten o-line coach actually thinks that the NFL will be a better fit for him. That’s a scary thought for the opposition.
“He’s a really good first- and second-down player, but I didn’t think he had a lot of juice on third downs,” the o-line coach stated. “The NFL is probably suited more for him than the college game. The way a lot of people in college play isn’t really suited to these big guys, and in the NFL, if you can’t stop the run, you get fired. So you need guys like this. He’s very strong at the point.”
After an impressive career with the Michigan football team, Mason Graham seems poised for more success at the next level. It’s going to be interesting to see where he ends up, but he won’t be on the board for very long when the 2025 NFL Draft rolls around.
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