We are a little over a month away from the college football season starting and what better way than to evaluate athletes who are on the rise. This segment will feature University of Michigan’s defensive warrior Mason Graham.

Graham is the anchor on the defensive line and one of the best in the entire nation. He is beyond physical and can disrupt opposing quarterbacks and stop the run in a heartbeat. Graham will be a top 10 draft selection in the upcoming NFL Draft in 2025 and will be a force to be reckoned with this season.

Pro Football Focus wrote an article titled: ‘College Football: Top 10 returning interior defensive linemen for the 2024 season’ in which author Max Chadwick listed Graham at the number one spot.

There’s no question that he is the best defensive linemen in all of college football and Chadwick solidified this by discussing what he means to Michigan football and their identity.

Graham was excellent in his first year at Ann Arbor, leading all FBS true freshmen interior defensive linemen with an 80.3 PFF grade. He took his game to a whole new level as a sophomore. According to PFF’s wins above average metric, he was the fourth-most valuable defensive tackle in the nation and was sixth in that same group with a 15.9% pass-rush win rate. Graham was one of only two interior defensive linemen in the country to finish with top-10 grades as both a pass rusher and run defender. The other was Texas’ T’Vondre Sweat.

The rising junior has a relentless motor to combine with ridiculous agility that makes him nearly unblockable. Even if an offensive lineman gets a clean shot on him, he has great power at 6-foot-3, 318 pounds to shed the block and find the ball carrier. Graham’s a nearly complete defensive tackle who’ll continue terrorizing Big Ten offenses on his way to likely becoming a high selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. If he was eligible for the 2024 draft, he’d likely be the first defensive tackle off the board.

Graham’s Collegiate Statistics:

2022: 27 Total Tackles (14 Solo, 13 Assisted), 2.5 Sacks, 1 Pass Deflection

2023: 35 Total Tackles (23 Solo, 12 Assisted), 3 Sacks, 1 FF, 1 Pass Deflection

While the sack statistics do not jump out, his presence alone is what haunts opposing offenses. He can bullrush the center and get back to the quarterback in a hurry, or he is seen disrupting the running game, helping his other teammates receive tackles for a loss; Graham can do it all and did last season for Michigan.

Graham is not only a physical athlete who makes plays in both the run and pass game, he works extremely hard and has a relentless motor as Chadwick mentioned. His 6-foot-3 320 pound body frame is a mismatch for many opposing offensive linemen, and his strength just puts the icing on the cake as one of college’s most premier defensive players.

The 20-year-old has accumulated many career highlights and awards during his first few years with the Wolverines.

• CFP National Champion (2023)
• First-team All-Big Ten (2023)
• Second-team All-American (2023)
• Rose Bowl Defensive MVP (2024)
• Freshman All-American (2022)

Graham will look to provide an NFL franchise with dominant play for many years to come.

When he enters his first NFL season, he will be only 22-years-old and his age is very friendly to many NFL franchises looking for their cornerstone athlete. Graham will be able to take the next step when he reaches the next level, and he is certainly a college football player to watch in 2024.