Part 7, DL: Meet the Brawlers
Mason Graham is head of class. One scout sees 12 defensive linemen with starter grades. But gauging a player's motor? That's extremely difficult. Bob McGinn examines all of the top prospects.
This is the 41st year, and the fourth at Go Long, that Bob McGinn has written a position-by-position series previewing the NFL draft. Previously, it appeared in the Green Bay Press-Gazette (1985-’91), the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (1992-2017), BobMcGinnFootball.com (2018-’19) and The Athletic (2020-’21). Until 2014, many personnel people were quoted by name. Reluctantly, the series adopted an all-anonymous format in 2015 at the request of most scouts.
Seventh of 12 parts: Defensive line.
Go Long is your forever home for unvarnished NFL coverage.
By Bob McGinn
In a position loaded with beefy potential, good things often arrive in pairs when it comes to the defensive line.
A generation ago, Richard Seymour (6-5 ½, 295, 4.94) and Marcus Stroud (6-5 ½, 321, 5.12) left Georgia for the NFL draft: Seymour went No. 6 to New England, Stroud went No. 13 to Jacksonville.
Many sets of defensive tackles from the same university have been drafted high in the same year. A year ago, Texas sent Byron Murphy to Seattle at No. 16 and T’Vondre Sweat to Tennessee at No. 38. The Longhorns are represented this spring by Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton. If one classifies Jordan Burch as a defensive lineman rather an edge rusher, as was done here, Oregon has three top-notch prospects inside. Ole Miss has more than one big, too.
Much of the pre-draft focus, however, will center on Michigan’s tandem of Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. They were as responsible as anyone why the Wolverines beat Ohio State in their two seasons as starters and won the national championship in 2023.
“I remember doing Seymour and Stroud out of Georgia in 2000 (actually, 2001) but that’s what it reminds me of with Grant and Graham,” a long-time scout said. “I loved both of them. They’ll both be Day 1 guys. There’s a bunch of ‘em (defensive tackles) but these guys are in a category by themselves. One of them will go top 15 easily. They don’t come along that often. It’s hard to pass on those two guys.
“Then there’s two at Oregon that aren’t as well-known, but they’re really good.”
Michigan has the most victories in college football history but you wouldn’t know it by the NFL careers of its defensive tackles. Only Tom Keating, a fourth-round draft choice by Minnesota in 1964, made the Pro Bowl as a full-fledged defensive tackle (Oakland, 1967, ‘68). The only other Pro Bowl D-tackle from Michigan was Al “Big Ox” Wistert (6-1, 214), a fifth-round pick by Philadelphia in 1943 who made the Pro Bowl as a two-way tackle in 1951 (he did make four All-Pro teams).
Dave Gallagher (1974) and Kevin Brooks (1985) had marginal careers as first-round choices. The Wolverines’ only other first-rounder was Mazi Smith in 2023, who has been a disappointment in Dallas.
Michigan has produced more than its share of successful edge rushers in the NFL — LaMarr Woodley, James Hall, Brandon Graham, Frank Clark, Mike Danna, Rashan Gary, Josh Uche, Kwity Paye and Aidan Hutchinson – but inside is an entirely different matter.
Seymour, with 9 ½ sacks and 34 tackles for loss in a 41-game career for the Bulldogs, went on to make seven Pro Bowls in 12 years en route to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Stroud, with 6 ½ sacks and 19 TFLs in 43 collegiate games, made the Pro Bowl three times in 10 years.
“It’s really, really deep,” one scout said. “There’s a ton of interior guys. I got 12 with starter grades.”
Links to date:
Part 2, TE: Is Tyler Warren the next Great American NFL Tight End?
Part 5, QB: Do NFL scouts view Cam Ward & Shedeur Sanders as franchise quarterbacks?
Part 6, RB: 'Rare human being and a rare player,' but when to draft Ashton Jeanty?
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
1. MASON GRAHAM, Michigan (6-3 ½, 306, no 40, 1): Third-year junior. “As long as he goes to a 4-3 team that uses the 3-technique as the featured guy he’ll be just fine,” said one scout. “As long as he can get off the ball and disrupt everything. He’s John Randle, any of those 3-techniques. Warren Sapp. Aaron Donald. What was Aaron Donald’s arm length?” In February 2014, the Canton-bound retired Ram went to the combine and measured 6-0 ¾ and 285 with 32 5/8 arms and 9 7/8 hands.