Wolverine Digest

Mason Graham puts friendship first after receiving NFL Draft call

Jerred Johnson|
Mason Graham, DT, Michigan poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell
Mason Graham, DT, Michigan poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images


After being selected No. 5 overall in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Mason Graham showed his true colors as he rushed back to the green room to support teammate Will Johnson.

Johnson, who was once projected as a top 5 pick, continued to slide as the first round of the draft progressed. Knowing his Michigan teammate was clearly going through the stress of waiting to hear his name called, Graham went back to the green room to support Johnson.

Neither Graham nor Johnson could have known at the time that the elite corner from Michigan was headed for a fall out of the first round. Routinely mocked as a first round pick, sometimes as high as being a top 5 pick, rumors about a knee injury circulated throughout NFL management teams. Johnson missed multiple draft workouts and pro days leading up to the draft, including not running the 40-yard dash. Those absences and missing games at the end of his junior year started the whispers that injuries could be an issue.

Johnson fell out of the first round and was ultimately selected 47th overall by the Arizona Cardinals. Nobody was in denial that Johnson was an amazing prospect and may have been the top pure corner in the draft. The fear of an undisclosed injury, or one that the full extent of was not understood, pushed him out of the first round and the Cardinals got an absolute steal in the second round.

For his part, Graham showed his values in putting his teammate first. While most first round draft picks head to media time and start planning their departure to their new city, Graham's first thought was to go and support his former teammate.

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Jerred Johnson
JERRED JOHNSON

Jerred Johnson has served in the United States military for over 23 years. He has a Bachelors in Marketing, a Masters in Management and is in the final phases of completing his Doctorate in Business Administration.

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