New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: IDL Mason Graham, Michigan

Mason Graham is a Day 1 plug-and-play interior defensive lineman who is a force against the run and a pass rusher.

Mason Graham, IDL

Height: 6’3 ½”
Weight: 296 lbs
Class: Junior
School: Michigan
Hand size: 9 ⅛”
Arm length: 32”
Bench Press: 24 reps
STATS

A former four-star recruit out of Servite High School in Anaheim, California, where he was the 16th recruit from his state and the 25th defensive lineman during the 2022 recruiting cycle. He started one game as a freshman and recorded 13 pressures on 152 pass-rushing snaps that season.

Pro Football Focus graded Graham as the best overall defensive player and run defender among all the defensive linemen in the FBS. He earned 34 pressures on 338 pass-rushing snaps with 20 hurries and 30 STOPs on 210 run-defending snaps.

Graham is a two-time All-American (Unanimous First Team, 2024; Second Team, 2023) and an All-Big-10 selection. He earned the Tournament of Roses in 2023 as the Rose Bowl Game Defensive MVP.

He was an Outland Trophy and Nagurski Trophy Finalist and earned a Lott IMPACT Trophy semifinalist nod. Graham is one of the more exciting players in the 2025 NFL Draft, and he should hear his name called early on April 24th.

Strengths

Excellent athlete with impressive movement skills
Excellent explosive ability with a low center of gravity
Elite lateral agility, get-off, and change of direction
Quickly gets hip-to-hip with low inside shoulder to tightly turn corners
Controlled and balanced when steering around blocks
Very fluid lower half – absorbs contact and can stay low
Excellent processing and understanding of leverage – FORMER WRESTLER!
Good luck OL in one-on-one situations – ACCESSES any direction with ease
Excellent heavy hands with elite club/swim and swat moves
Times his hands well with violence – powerful punch at the POA
Great knock back power and pop on contact
Knows how/when to employ counter moves
Good spin move off contact – excellent feet
Solid overall run defender with excellent slashing ability
Sufficient bull-rush and power moves – stays low to the ground and churns through the deck
Keeps his hips low into contact and locks out
Keeps base wide with active eyes/hands vs. one-on-one blocks against the run
Did flash very good ability to stay low and shed run blocks at the POA
Elite backside run defender – chases ball carriers down consistently
Can effectively align anywhere across the line of scrimmage on passing downs
Good overall functional strength with excellent pop on contact
Excellent processing as a rusher and defensive player
Elite competitive toughness and motor

Projected T5 pick Mason Graham highlights:

The best IDL in CFB and potentially the best player in the draft 💯 pic.twitter.com/DkeuYES6jg
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) February 27, 2025

Weaknesses

Lacks ideal height
Lacks elite length
Tendency to pop up high and lose his leverage advantage
Must finish with more consistency
On the ground way too much
Doesn’t consistently threaten with bull-rush
Struggles to anchor against double-teams
Will get moved vs. double-teams – more successfully avoiding blocks than taking on

Mason Graham, NFL Draft, New York Giants — Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham celebrates after sacking Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer, in the background, during first-half action between Michigan and Minnesota at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. | Eric Seals / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Summary

Mason Graham is a non-stop ball of energy with violent hands and controlled movement skills, allowing him to penetrate and quickly establish a half-man advantage.

Graham is a nightmare to block one-on-one, for he is elite at establishing and manipulating leverage while finding ways out of the offensive lineman’s framing attempt – good luck mirroring this guy! According to Pro Football Focus, Graham earned a WIN on 21.5% of his rush attempts vs. true pass sets, which ranked 7th in the FBS of all defensive linemen.

He’s more of a harassing – annoying, and effective – rusher who has the traits and capabilities to become a dynamic finisher, yet he failed to consistently finish in college (nine sacks on 741 pass rushing attempts). He’s a sound overall run defender who does well when alone but double-teams gave him trouble, and Graham struggled to anchor himself down while finding himself on the deck too frequently.

Overall, Mason Graham can align all across the defensive front, especially on passing downs. His quick first step and ability to stay low/controlled while moving pose complex problems for offensive protection packages.

The thought of Graham with Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns is enticing, to say the least. He’s a difference-maker who hasn’t hit his ceiling yet, but he’ll have to stay on his feet against the run to maximize his potential at the next level.

GRADE: 6.82

Nick Falato's Draft Grade Chart | Nick Falato

Mason Graham, IDL

Strengths

Weaknesses

Summary

New York Giants On SI Social Media