The anticipation for the NFL Draft is reaching its final waiting hours, as are the Mock Drafts alongside it.
A lot of stars intend to go off the board quickly, which includes Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham. Although Graham has links to several NFL teams, one of them is the San Francisco 49ers in an attempt to make a postseason push this fall.
Yahoo Sports' Nate Tice and Charles McDonald tab the 49ers to draft Graham at No. 11, writing he is a scheme-building player who can adapt quickly with his athletic ability, setting him apart.
Regardless of where Graham goes, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah recently said he is impressed by what he has seen on film and that he is as good as advertised.
“Mason Graham, gosh, he’s so fun,” Jeremiah said. “I watched him on tape, and I fell in love with him."
Even though the Wolverines had some rough patches this past season, despite their eventual 8-5 finish, Jeremiah said individually, Graham helped make the defense what it became: tenacious.
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"I’m looking at Mason Graham and the body type and I’m like, ‘Man, maybe I need to adjust my grade.’ Maybe I’m just too high on this guy," Jeremiah said when watching Michigan play Oregon this past year. "And then I proceeded to watch the game, and I was like, ‘Nope. Nope. He’s just really, really good.'"
Jeremiah said NFL teams with defensive needs, like the 49ers and others, should zero in on the 6-foot-3, 320-pound junior without hesitation.
"So, I hope people don’t overthink it with him as we get to the spring and kinda the further we get away from football," Jeremiah said. "But he’s got crazy elite leverage, balance and instincts. You can see there’s a wrestling background there. He’s just never on the ground. He gets underneath guys."
Graham finished his Wolverines career as a national champion in 2023, followed by last season in which he managed three-and-a-half sacks while appearing in all but one game.
Graham could set up for a long career if the insider intel comes true. However, it remains to be seen.