Browns' Mason Graham avoids bust talks with strong post-bye performance

Matt Sullivan

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Browns' Mason Graham avoids bust talks with strong post-bye performance image

The Cleveland Browns traded down from their draft slot with the Jacksonville Jaguars, letting Travis Hunter head to Florida, while the Browns got a future first, a second-round pick, and overall, landed a lot of value.

After the trade-down, the Browns took Mason Graham out of Michigan with the 5th overall pick. Through the first eight weeks of this season, he was looking like a bust.

But, as ESPN analyst Ben Solak points out, his post-bye performance has been a great sign, and he was named as one of the second-team All-Rookie defensive tackles this season after a rough first half to the 2025 season.

Mason Graham avoids bust talks with strong post-bye rookie bump

"If I did this list at the midway point of the season, Graham would not have made it." Solak writes. "He was getting moved with ease in the running game and was providing little impact as a pass rusher."

But after the Week 9 bye, Graham managed to turn things around in a big way. The fifth-overall pick had 19 pressures in the eight games after the bye, compared to just 11 in the eight games before the bye.

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Graham is still far from a complete player, but his major turnaround after the Browns' Week 9 bye has been a positive sign.

He's generating pressure more often and is also not being moved around as badly in the run game. There's still work to be done, but his promise is finally showing.

Cleveland has had an incredible 2025 NFL Draft class, and while Graham might not be the best player, or even the third-best player, he's still been a great pickup for the Browns this past offseason and should continue to develop going forward just as he did this season.

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