Michigan’s Mason Graham named top defensive tackle for 2024

Earlier this week, PFF College named Michigan’s Colston Loveland the best tight end for the 2024 season. On Sunday, PFF College named another Wolverine the best college football player at his position, this time defensive tackle Mason Graham.

Here’s what PFF had to say about the dominant Wolverine defender:

1. MASON GRAHAM, MICHIGAN WOLVERINES

Graham excelled in his first year in Ann Arbor, leading all true FBS freshmen among defensive linemen with a PFF grade of 80.3. In his sophomore year, he took his game to a whole new level. He was the nation’s fourth-most valuable defensive tackle 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 defensive linemen 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 on him, at 6’3″ and 300 pounds, he has the 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 will likely be one of the first draft picks 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.

At 6-foot-3, 315 pounds, Graham has established himself as the most dominant defensive lineman in the country. He plays fast and violently, but is extremely disciplined and technically efficient — making for a very long afternoon trying to stop him. In his sophomore season in 2023, Graham finished fourth on the team in tackles for loss (7.5) and sixth in sacks (3.0). He was the best defensive player in the CFP Rose Bowl matchup against Alabama, was selected by the coaches to the All-Big Ten first team and to the All-American second team.

Given all of his success in his first two seasons in Ann Arbor, it’s no surprise that Graham ranks atop PFF’s list of top 10 returning defensive players on the interior.

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