With the Jets currently scheduled to pick 7th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, let's take a look at one prospect who may be a target: Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham.
By The Numbers
- Height: 6-foot-3
- Weight: 296 pounds
- 40-Yard Dash: N/A (Graham did not participate in some drills at the NFL Combine)
- Vertical: N/A
- Bench: 24 reps
- Broad Jump: N/A
- 2024 Stats (12 games played): 45 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and one pass defended.
Prospect Overview
NFL.com: Three-technique who provides activity, effort, strength and quickness. 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.
Bleacher Report: Mason Graham has the potential to be one of the best defensive tackle prospects to come out of college in the last few years. His lack of elite size and length will keep him from being in the same category as Jalen Carter, but the Michigan product's combination of strength and athleticism gives him a high ceiling as a pro.
Why Graham makes sense for the Jets
When the Jets drafted Quinnen Williams with the third overall pick in 2019, he was the fifth defensive tackle they had selected in the first round since 2011. However, since that time, they haven’t drafted any defensive tackles in the first six rounds and haven’t spent much money on the position in free agency.
New York signed three veterans with plenty of experience in free agency this year; Jay Tufele, Byron Cowart and Derrick Nnadi. However, each of these would seem better suited to a reserve role and they all signed one-year deals.
Williams is now a three-time pro bowler and still only 27. Could now be the ideal time to pair him with a young player that can develop alongside him?
Graham is the consensus best defensive tackle in the draft, as he’s routinely the only interior defensive lineman selected in the top 20 picks in most mocks. The 2025 draft is regarded as having a deep defensive tackle class, but scouts seem in agreement that Graham is as close as you can get to a “sure thing."
While his statistics, including just nine sacks in three seasons, are not eye-popping, Graham was a major contributor on a national champion at Michigan and the disruption he causes up front is apparent from his film. His quickness and durability are also significant attributes.
The main knock on Graham is a lack of length, but he makes up for this with a relentless motor and this is an issue that plenty of elite defensive tackles such as Aaron Donald and Grady Jarrett have been able to overcome in recent years.
With the seventh overall pick, the fanbase might be demanding a flashier pick than an interior defensive lineman, but Graham seems to have a high floor and could improve an area of weakness for the Jets if he bolsters their run defense. He also plays at a position where, historically, top draft prospects can often step right into the line-up as a rookie to help elevate a defense.
NFL Comparison
NFL.com/Bleacher Report: ...
