Short arms? Graham's arms measured at 32 at the combine. For comparison, Aaron Donald's arms measured at 32.5... a whole half an inch longer.
I knew cutting a promo on graham would not draw likes & agreement from this uber CB patriotic board.Im proud of you guys.some of you have admitted he needs to improve which is all im saying for where he was taken.in key times we failed to runstop 3rd & short.we failed pass rush with empty backfields on key downs.If graham doesn't improve this year? say 3-4 clean sacks? he will be a bust.
DT play last year was bitterly disappointing.
Its unfair to use sack #? especially not for graham.he is small and fast for a DT built to rush.thats why berry got C+ for the pick.
you dont draft a 3-tech DT to runstop guys.you are drafting a 5-t/ NT for that job.they drafted LB for that.graham should be rushing.
the probowl should be the bar for any top 5 pick IMO
happy to sigbet under 6 sacks with anyone.
This is going to be a long one because your entire argument is so poorly thought out... poorly reasoned... and poorly presented that I just have to destroy it once and for all.
You’re evaluating DT play almost entirely through sacks, which is a terrible way to evaluate interior DL... especially rookies.
Mason Graham was never drafted to be Aaron Donald. He was drafted because he consistently disrupted offensive structure snap after snap at Michigan. There’s a reason basically every serious evaluator had him as one of the safest defensive players in the class.
Interior pressure matters more than raw sack totals... and these things don't show up on box scores. QB hits, hurries, pressure rate, double-team rate, run disruption, forcing protection slides... all of that impacts winning.
Most elite DTs did not enter the league putting up massive sack numbers immediately.
Chris Jones: 2 sacks as rookie
Dexter Lawrence: 2.5 sacks
Quinnen Williams: 2.5 sacks
Jeffery Simmons: 2 sacks
Vita Vea: 3 sacks
Cam Heyward: 1 sack his first 2 years combined
Were they busts? Seems like given proper time, they've all become some of the best DT's in the league.
Graham’s college profile was far more than “small and fast.” At Michigan he was one of the highest-graded interior defenders in football against both the run and pass. Elite pressure rate for a DT. Elite get-off. Elite leverage. Elite block destruction. Constant penetration.
Also, saying “you don’t draft a 3-tech to stop the run” is just flat-out wrong. Modern 3-techs are asked to penetrate, spill runs, collapse pockets, and create negative plays. If your 3-tech can’t hold up against the run, offenses will run directly at him all game. And that is exactly what Graham was drafted to do... shore up a bad run defense.
And the “3-4 clean sacks or bust” take is absurdly arbitrary and meaningless because it ignores how DTs are actually evaluated in modern football.
Mason Graham had 36 QB pressures as a rookie with an 8.1% pressure rate from the interior. That is good production for a rookie DT. Especially one adjusting to NFL strength, protections, and pass sets.
He finished top-25 among ALL DTs in total pressures as a rookie while playing over 400 pass rush snaps. That’s not a “bust”... that’s promising developmental production.
People obsess over sacks because they’re easy to read on ESPN boxscores, but pressures and win rate are what translate year over year. Graham posted anywhere from an 8% to 13.8% pass rush win rate depending on the tracking metric. Those are legitimate numbers for a first-year interior defender.
And the biggest thing? His trajectory. From Week 7 on, he graded as a top-15 interior defender per PFF with a 74.3 grade after a slow start. That’s exactly what you want from a rookie DT... improvement, adjustment, and growth as the season progresses. He also had games with a 21% pass rush win rate in key matchups. That’s elite-level disruption on a snap-to-snap basis.
People need to stop evaluating DTs like edge rushers. Interior DLs affect protections, collapse pockets, flush QBs, force bad throws, and create opportunities for everyone else. The Browns didn’t draft Graham to stat-pad sacks. They drafted him to become an every-down disruptive 3-tech. And based on the underlying metrics? The arrow is pointing up, not down.
Also, “Pro Bowl should be the bar for every top 5 pick” sounds good emotionally but isn’t reality. If Graham becomes a high-end disruptive 3-tech that consistently creates pressure, eats doubles, improves run defense, and impacts winning snaps, that’s a successful pick whether casual fans obsess over sack totals or not.
