The Jacksonville Jaguars have a myriad of options with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. They could go either offense or defense and would probably come out with a difference-maker. One player who's probably going to be on the board when they're on the clock is defensive tackle Mason Graham. While he has a fatal flaw, his strenghts more than make up for it.
Pete Prisco recently had an exchange on 1010 XL and talked about Graham and said that his arm length shouldn't be an issue in his transition to the pros, citing his background as a wrestler as one of the reasons.
"I love his game. I love the way he uses his hand, and I watch a lot of this tape," Prisco said when asked about Graham. "The other defensive tackle next to Graham: Really good, strong, physical player. But when you watch the tape, who gets doubled? Mason Graham's the one that gets doubled, and he handles it. He's not a big guy. That is a little concerning to me because I went and looked at it. Look, I don't talk to them, I go look at their body. I wanna see what he looks like."
Prisco continued, "He's a little light, a little smallish, but he's a wrestler, and he grew up as a wrestler, so he plays with a low center of gravity. Knows how to get off blocks. It's hard to block him. But again, there are concerns about the size: Will he hold up on a consistent basis? I love his game. I think he's phenomenal. He has hand usage like a veteran who's been in the league for 10 years."
Prisco goes on to say that Graham would immediately make the Jaguars' defense better.
"Let's just say they got Graham in the first round. Then, all of a sudden you look at your defensive line, you go,'Wow.' I think Maason Smith is gonna be a good player. So you have that four, and they're not old. That's not an old group. And you can get after people with four. If you can get after people with four, and you're not great on the back, you can cover a lot of things up that way. So I think getting a guy like that is important," Prisco said.
Graham is the best defensive tackle in this year's draft. Although this is going to be a deep class, he may be too good to pass up at No. 5. Given that other teams ahead of the Jaguars will prioritize other positions, there's a strong chance the Michigan Wolverine will be available when they're on the clock.
Below's Prisco's apperaance on 1010 XL. His remarks about Graham start at the 3:31 mark.
The Jaguars would love to see Mason Graham to fall to No. 5
Maason Smith showed promise as a rookie, and Arik Armstead will be switching back to defensive tackle after mostly lining up on the edge last year, so beefing up the interior trenches may not be a priority for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round. Nevertheless, the team's brass shouldn't hesitate to pick Mason Graham if he's available.
There's a strong chance two-way star Travis Hunter, cornerback Will Johnson, and Tetairoa McMillan will be available at No. 5. Any of them would fill a void for the Jags, but Graham deserves strong consideration. After all, he could take their interior defensive line from dependable to great. Moreover, they could take him at No. 5 and still have the chance to address other immediate needs (cornerback, receiver, and offensive line) on Day 2.
The bottom line is that Mason Graham's strengths outweigh whatever shortcomings he has, and drafting him at No. 5 may make too much sense not to do it.