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Michigan football star ranked as best DT in college football

Michigan football star ranked as best DT in college football

The Michigan football team lost a lot of good talent from their National Championship team, but they still have some elite players coming back. One of those players is defensive tackle Mason Graham. Graham had the talent to be selected early in the NFL Draft last year, but he was not yet eligible because he was only two years out of high school. Graham is back with the Wolverines this season and is expected to have a great year. In fact, PFF recently released its top 10 DTs in college football and Graham took first place.

Mason Graham has been an impactful player for the Michigan football team since his freshman year. It didn’t take long for him to burst onto the scene as he collected 27 total tackles and 2.5 sacks as a freshman and had an even better season in 2023. Last year, Graham finished the season with 35 total tackles and three sacks. He also had a forced fumble. He is expected to be one of the best players in college football this season, and the PFF The top DT rankings reflect this.

What PFF had to say about Mason Graham

Michigan defensive back Mason Graham attempts to tackle Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. during the second half of UM's 34-13 victory in the College Football Playoff championship game.
© Melanie Maxwell / USA TODAY NETWORK

Mason Graham is accompanied by many stars PFF rankings, but he finished in first place. Here’s what they had to say about the Michigan football star.

“Graham excelled his freshman year in Ann Arbor, leading all FBS true freshmen among interior defenders with a PFF grade of 80.3. As a sophomore, he took his game to a whole new level. He was the fourth most valuable defensive tackle in the nation according to PFF’s wins-above-average metric and ranked sixth in the same group with a 15.9% pass-rush win rate. Graham was one of only two interior defenders in the country to receive top-10 grades as both a pass rusher and a run defender. The other was Texas’ T’Vondre Sweat. The rising junior has a relentless drive combined with incredible agility that makes him nearly unblockable. Even if an offensive lineman gets an open shot at him, at 6-foot-3, 300 pounds, he has great strength to shake off the block and find the ball carrier. Graham is a nearly complete defensive tackle who will continue to terrorize Big Ten offenses and is likely to be a high selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. If he were eligible for the 2024 draft, he would likely be the first defensive tackle taken off the board.”

All indications are that Graham will have a great year for Michigan. He will be one of the Wolverines’ most important players.