One of the things that stood out the most in the Philadephia Eagles' dismantling of the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59 was their ability to wreak havoc at the line of scrimmage without having to blitz. Coincidentally, the Jacksonville Jaguars struggled to create pressure last year, so it's not particularly surprising to see them linked to defensive tackle Mason Graham in the 2025 NFL Draft. But as talented as the Michigan product is, he'll be far from the only option for the Jags at No. 5.
Graham is one of the most intriguing defensive tackle prospects in recent years. Aside from having to hone his technique, he doesn't have too many flags and possesses all the traits you want at the position. Given that defensive tackle was a weakness for the Jags in 2024, the Michigan Wolverine has been mocked to Jacksonville several times throughout the draft process.
There's no doubt that the Jaguars could use Graham, but there are a couple reasons it feels like drafting him at No. 5 seems like an overreaction after watching the Eagles dominate Kansas City.
For starters, it wasn't just one player. Philly had a well-rounded rotation. Whether it was Milton Williams, Jalen Carter, or Brandon Graham, they routinely switched to ensure everyone stayed fresh throughout the whole game. It led to a 38 percent pressure rate, 16 total pressures, and six sacks.
The Eagles did not blitz once across 42 dropbacks in Super Bowl LIX, just the 4th defense to not blitz in a game in the NGS era.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) February 10, 2025
Relying on their front four, the Eagles generated 16 pressures and sacked Mahomes six times, his most in a game in his career.
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Seven or more players logged three or more sacks for the Eagles in 2024. The Jaguars only had three such players to end the 2024 regular season.
The Jaguars already have an intriguing rotation with upside in place. Maason Smith and Jordan Jefferson flashed late in their rookie seasons, and Arik Armstead will switch back to defensive tackle after mostly lining up on the edge last year. Simply put, there may not be room for Graham in the Jaguars' rotation, and that's without taking DaVon Hamilton into account.
If that wasn't enough, Anthony Campanile will be taking over the defense, and there's a strong chance he'll get the most out of the underwhelming group.
Mason Graham is great but far from the only options the Jaguars will have
You could make the case that having a loaded defensive front shouldn't stop the Jacksonville Jaguars from beefing up the trenches, and you would be right. That said, Mason Graham will be far from their only option to make it happen.
Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah argues that this will be a deep defensive tackle class. This is to say that that Jags could easily address another position at No. 5 and still have ample options to fortify the trenches in Rounds 2 and 3.
Last year at this time, I had potential starter grades on 12 DT's. This year I have 24 of them. Ridiculous amount of depth at the position in this draft class.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) February 11, 2025
Granted, Graham is probably the best of the bunch, but the Jags could easily target Tetairoa McMillan or Travis Hunter in the first round and still land Walter Nolan or Tyleik Williams in the second round.
The bottom line is that there are several ways the Jacksonville Jaguars can fortify their interior defensive line and must avoid boxing themselves in a corner regardless of how tempting Mason Graham will be at No. 5.