Browns draft Michigan DT Mason Graham at No. 5 after trade down from No. 2 with Jaguars

BEREA, Ohio – After trading down with the Jaguars from No. 2 to No. 5, the Browns bolstered their defensive line with Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham.

Graham, 6-3, 320, will work inside with Mike Hall Jr. and the other Browns defensive tackles.

NFL.com’s Lance Zeirlein writes of Graham, the best defensive tackle in the class:

“Three-technique who provides activity, effort, strength and quickness. Graham’s first-step quickness makes interior disruption inevitable. He has the instant read and response to regularly beat lateral blocks. He’s stout at the point of attack with great leverage and body control but will lose some ground against double teams.

“Graham’s lack of length makes it tougher for him to find quick wins as a rusher, but he more than makes up for it with his activity level and foot quickness. Harmonious hands and feet are the catalyst for his edge-to-edge counters, while his extended effort and closing burst help him get home. He may not dominate as a pro but his strength, body control and quickness should allow him to play his brand of ball and become a good starter in an upfield defensive front.

According to The 33rd Team, Graham is a scheme-transcendent talent who can afford value to any and all defensive ideologies. Graham is a stout point-of-attack defender who can win with leverage, hands, instincts, or first-step quickness and penetration.

As a pass rusher, he showcases a variety of ways to attack interior pass sets and figures to continue to develop as a budding disruptor in the pass game. Teams looking for a high floor, high ceiling tone setter on the interior will undoubtedly be drawn to his consistent teach tape in the middle.

Pro Football Focus had this to day about Graham:

Graham was a four-star recruit and a two-time state champion wrestler. He initially wanted to play linebacker, but his coach convinced him his best shot at a top Division I offer and the NFL was in the trenches. His PFF pass-rush grade on true pass sets, PFF run-defense grade, pass-rush win rate and solo run-stop rate over the past two years at Michigan are all above the 95th percentile. He has adequate size to play 3-technique in the NFL, but he played at just about every alignment on the defensive front over the past two years. Graham is explosive in his first step, giving him good speed-to-power conversion and effective push-pull moves. He shows good bend, and his hands are fast, violent and well placed, especially in run defense. He likes to use a two-hand swipe or a club-arm over as his main pass-rush moves. His biggest issues stem from a lack of arm length, but there is still so much to like. His competitive toughness and motor are ideal.

Strengths

Elite first-step explosiveness

Excellent bend and flexibility for an interior player

Wins the leverage battle consistently

Fast, powerful hands

Devastating push-pull move

Weaknesses

Arms appear to be well below average

Lack of length affects rip/swipe efficiency

Shorter arms make it tougher for him to disengage

Gets pushed to the ground more than you’d like

This post will be updated.