Surprising Draft Prospect Named "Best Fit" For Giants

As the New York Giants learned so profoundly during their time with former quarterback Daniel Jones under center, it takes a few different elements coming together at once for a first-round draft pick to thrive and live up to their potential.

The one piece of credit to lend the Giants at the time was that they seemingly felt very confident making Jones the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft. However, it would take six mostly grueling seasons with the failed selection for the franchise to realize that it wasn’t just Jones’ deficiencies that marred his stint in the Big Apple; it was the lack of the right factors surrounding him to create success.

Giants owner John Mara said it best when he offered the infamous remark about “doing everything to mess this kid up” when reflecting on the missed opportunities of the Jones era, and his team cannot afford to let the next prospect that they take this April down in the same fashion.

That same rule can also apply to more than just the quarterback position. Despite the overwhelming sense that they will court a top prospect at the helm so long as one falls to their first pick at No. 3, one analyst over at Bleacher Report believes that the ideal partnership would be with a notable prospect on the defensive side of the ball.

In the opinion of NFL analyst Brent Sobleski, Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham is the one player in their top 10 candidates from the 2025 class who would have the greatest chance to succeed in New York.

University of Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graha — Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham celebrates a tackle against Ohio State during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

“Legitimate three-down interior defenders are worth their weight in gold,” Sobleski said. “What makes these individuals so valuable is that they don't need to be taken off the field.

“Few defensive tackles have the ability to consistently deal with the mass of humanity they're forced to take on, defend the run at a high level, and still be explosive enough to make life miserable on opposing quarterbacks.

“Graham is one of those people, as long as he's allowed to be aggressive in how he shoots his gaps, and he's not worried about clogging lanes, doing the dirty work, and letting everyone else make the plays.”

While it certainly doesn’t rank alongside the need for a quarterback or two, the Giants' defensive front is arguably the next most important position on the roster ahead of the 2025 season.

The unit stayed afloat whenever Dexter Lawrence II was on the field, but the effort in the trenches hit a serious speed bump once he landed on the sidelines with an elbow injury.

By the time this past season ended, the Giants front four had gone from having experienced weapons on the first line of defense to a row of novices and practice squad projects.

The unpolished group of gap stuffers was heavily outmatched down the stretch. They allowed over 122 yards on the ground in the last six contests and 18 total touchdowns, ranking them 27th among NFL run defenses.

With a couple of rostered players uncertain about returning to full health with the team next season, the Giants have a severely bereft response to the opponent’s rushing attacks unless they find another elite talent to partner with Lawrence. It wouldn’t be the ideal scenario for where they would be selecting him, but Graham could grow into an excellent plus one in the Giants’ system.

Under Shane Bowen’s leadership, the defense has acclimated into more of a system that derives from creating organic pressures from the defensive front. This trait fits right into Graham’s wheelhouse. He earned an 81.1 pass-rush grade, ranked 13th-highest in the nation this past season, and excelled at dominating individual matchups off the snap to the passer.

Graham produced 34 pressures for the Wolverines in his 338 pass-rushing snaps, which was good for seventh-best in FBS play. In true pass sets, his speed and aggressiveness produced 20 quarterback hurries and a win percentage of 21.7%, which lines up fairly close to Lawrence’s 15 and 19.3% share in his shortened campaign.

On the ground, Graham was also one of the best prospects the college game has to offer an NFL franchise. He led the country with a 92.6 run defense grade in 210 snaps, which yielded 27 of his total tackles, a 12.0% stop rate, and a minimal missed tackle rate of 2.6%, meaning he was almost flawless at clogging up lanes on the opposing ball carrier.

The most impressive part was how he produced these numbers on an endless basis for Michigan without fatigue or bigger matchups getting in his way.

Add that to the immense size and fortitude that his veteran counterpart in Lawrence would bring, and the Giants would have a new fearsome duo that is making life difficult for the quarterback, potentially forcing him into mistakes at the back levels and scaring running backs from taking the ball up the middle.

Taking Graham likely wouldn’t be the lone move the Giants make at the position, as the team desperately needs reinforcements in case of the inevitable injury bug that seems to affect the organization every season.

With another potential pickup in free agency to sharpen the mix, the Giants would have a nice shot at bringing back the ruthless attack they once had on the defensive front that was so characteristic of their days when they made epic runs to the Super Bowl.

It sounds like a match made in heaven for the Giants, as Graham would most likely be available at the third overall pick. Still, the unfortunate reality is that quarterback is king in this league and will be at the forefront of their latest draft class.

But who says the mockers and defensive gurus can’t dream a little with another every-down defender joining the ranks of a developing group in New York?

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